{Love To Hate}

What an intresting topic for our next Joy Of Love assignment! On Saturday we were challenged to think about something our loved one does that we simply can't stand. Something that annoys us to no end. Then we had to find a way to record that annoying habit.

Of course the first person I thought about was my dear husband. Because although I do love him, he has some habits that absolutely drive me up a wall. But his habits are kind of hard to capture on film. For example, he likes to make weird noises because the kids laugh, but I find it grating after hearing it a hundred times. And he knows it bugs me, so he does it all the more. What a sweetheart. ;)

But both Cory and I become highly, HIGHLY annoyed on an almost daily basis by one of our amazingly adorable children. It may be hard to believe that our little cherub-faced Clara could find a way to drive us nuts - sometimes to the point where yelling and tears ensue - but she does. And this is how.

Clara is a talker. Clara is also easily distracted. And finally, Clara doesn't care much about eating food. Put those three things together and you have a child who makes dinnertime a not-so-fun experience. We sit down to eat and all she wants to do is drink her milk, chatter about nothing, sing songs, or get up and show us a dance move. We find ourselves constantly saying, "Clara, put the milk down." "Clara, take a bite." "Clara, stop singing." "Clara, EAT!!!" Many times she ends up alone at the dinner table because everyone else has finished eating and she still has a full plate of food. It is beyond frustrating, especially if we have someplace to go in the evening.

This morning Cory made pancakes for breakfast so it was a bit difficult to capture Clara's typical distracted behaviour. Pancakes are one of her favorite foods and she gobbles them up without much prompting. But that look on her face - that ornery, "I have something to say" look - says it all. When it comes to mealtime manners, a princess Clara is not.

Flaws like this are a part of what makes us human and loveable, though. As the saying goes, Clara is not perfect, but she is perfect for us. And we love her completely . . . even during dinner.

{What They Wear}

I just spent two days in Baltimore at Tastefully Simple On Tour, a high-energy, FUN conference where consultants receive training, recognition, inspiration and knowledge. We found out all kinds of super cool changes coming soon AND we got to taste the new spring / summer products that are coming your way. I had SO much fun! I'll share more when I'm allowed to (top secret stuff, you know), but I will say that if you have ever thought about hosting a fun taste-testing party OR if you have ever thought about partying for a living you need to do it n.o.w. I wish I could tell you why, but you'll have to trust me. This company just keeps getting better and better!




Anyway, because I've been in Baltimore this weekend I haven't been able to blog my Joy Of Love photos. I actually took Friday's photo yesterday morning before I left but didn't have time to post it. And I haven't even read today's assignment yet . . .


Yesterday's assignment was to photograph what our loved ones wear. As soon as I read the topic I knew I wanted Cory to be my subject. Cory doesn't dress like many men do for work. The dress shirts, ties, and suits that hang in his closet are worn to church, weddings, funerals and the occassional date. They certainly are not a regualar part of his wardrobe.


What does Cory wear to work every day? Layers. Lots of layers during the winter. He wears jeans (sometimes insulated), overalls, Under Armour tops, windbreakers, and finally coveralls. He has to wear so many layers because he is outside on dairy farms all day long. So there is no dressing up. While he does his best to stay clean, let's face it. It's hard to be a dairy vet and not get some yucky stuff on your clothes. So everyday he takes numerous coveralls and surgical jackets with him so he can change into clean ones between farm visits. I wanted to photograph him wearing his typical garb, but he refused. Once all of those layers are on, he looks about 35 pounds heavier than he is. So instead, I photographed a stack of his laundry that I folded. This is actually a rather small stack consisting of several pairs of coveralls and some Under Armour. Usually there are surgical jackets and clothes in the mix as well.

It's always interesting to do Cory's work laundry. Although I'll be honest and say that he almost always does his own wash. I just end up folding it for him. I find many items in the drier that most wives don't find: long plastic gloves (you can guess what they are used for), syringes, operating tools, tape, and needle caps to name some. Someday I hope we'll have a seperate laundry for his work clothes and the rest of the household laundry!

The other part of the photography assignment was to play around with the metering on our camera. The metering is what controls exposure. Depending on the composition of you photo and what you are photographing, you may decide to change the exposure and play around with the metering a bit. I took the same photo of Cory's pile of folded coveralls using three different metering settings. I liked this one the best because it kept the majority of the photo nicely exposed and the colors look natural and true.

I don't know that I ever would have photographed and documented Cory's work clothes if it weren't for this assignment and I'm glad that I got the nudge to do so. These little things are a part of our everyday lives - a part of the lives I love so much. The coveralls are also a symbol of how hard-working Cory is. He loves helping farmers take care of their herds and be more productive. He is passionate about what he does. I'm so grateful that he has such a strong work ethic and is such a wonderful provider. What a fantastic role model he is for our children!

We are very blessed to love the man who wears these clothes.

{Then and Now}

My sweet Sasha Rose. My first-born baby girl. There is something about her that is so unique, something I can't even put into words. Perhaps this is a part of the oldest child mystique - we love them in a special way that can't quite be described. Sasha has definitely charmed us from day one and we couldn't possibly love her more!

For today's Joy Of Love assignement we are to photograph a change in someone. I'm sure I took the obvious path and chose to show how my first-born child has changed over the years.

This is my girl in January of 2006. She was two years and three months old and cute as could be. I vividly remember styling her hair in those "spouts" or "boingers". And look at that little button nose! Be still my heart. And here is my baby today, all seven years and four months old. Her hair has grown thicker and is often in ponytails or braids. Her little nose is now splattered with freckles. And her tiny baby teeth have been replaced by her permanent adult teeth. My baby girl is growing up.

A part of today's assignment is to get a tight, close shot of our subject. This can be done by taking the photo very cropped or by cropping the photo during post-processing. I chose to take the photo in a tight crop. I love how the focus is on my pretty darling and there is nothing distracting in the background.

Then . . . and Now. As much as I miss the higher-pitched baby voice, the tiny giggles, and the boingy hair, I'm so proud to watch how my daughter is growing up to be a lovely little lady.

I simply adore my Sasha Rose.

{How They Look}

Today's Joy Of Love assignment is to capture how our loved one(s) look. The trick is to transfer that person's personality - the good, the bad, or the ugly! - into the photo. We are also to pay attention to how we compose the shot. In other words, make sure the camera is at the right height and angle to get the most flattering photo possible. This is one of the areas I think I've paid the most attention to lately. For many years I just snapped photos any which way. I have pictures of Sasha and Clara as babies lying on the floor and I stood next to them to take their pictures. Bad, bad, bad. I should have been lying on the floor at their level. Lesson learned. The position of the photographer is every bit as important as the position of the subject.

So here is today's Joy Of Love submission: How They Look. I chose to photograph my dear middle child, Clara. She is always smiling and happy. It is quite rare for her to get upset about anything. That's one of the things I love about her - she has such a sweet, uplifting nature. Plus, this girl loves pigtails. She asks for pigtails on a regular basis and looks so darn cute with her hair this way. In my opinion, pigtails make for the ultimate "little girl" look, so I will happily oblige and give Clara piggies anytime she wants them.

My Joy Of Love: Clara Grace

{What They Do}

One of my dear friends told me about a fun online class being offered by Willette, a great photographer and blogger. The class runs throughout the month of February and is entitled, "The Joy Of Love". We are given an assignment each day along with some tips and examples, and our mission is to document different aspects of the ones we love throughout the month. Fun, right? So today was the first day and the assignment was to photograph "what they do". I didn't want to stage anything just for a photo, so I kept my camera handy throughout the day so I could catch those everyday moments with the kids. I took photos of the girls playing with Moon Sand. But I wasn't happy with the composition. Then I took photos of Sasha reading. But I wasn't happy with the light. I thought I'd just have to use a photo that was only so-so, until bedtime rolled around. Every night while we read stories and get ready for bed, Dixon climbs into Clara's bed and tucks himself in. He would sleep there all night if we let him! So here is my submission for our first "Joy of Love" assignement: What They Do:

And as I'm typing this, the little man is crying up a storm in his crib. He has become quite a night owl and wants to stay up with Cory and I until 10:00 or later. Usually we don't give in, but every now and then it's easier than listening to him scream and cry. I think I'll go get him now. Sigh.

Look for a daily photo and blog post from me this month as I attempt to keep up with all the Willette assignments! :)

Night, night!

{My Pages}

Many months have passed since I last shared any of my layouts here. Well, I've been a total blog slacker in every respect so the lack of layouts should be of no surprise. Anyway, because all three kids are home and it's too yucky outside to go do anything I thought I'd spend a few minutes and share some of my creations with all of you. This is a handful of what I've done over the past several months. I'm looking forward to getting them printed in a book . . . someday! :)

{The Ticket}

The Chambersburg School District has a system in place for handling discipline problems at the elementary level. When a student disobeys, he or she pulls a ticket. Depending upon the teacher, that may mean the student loses a privilege, gets a note sent home, or is separated from the other students. If they pull multiple tickets in one day, the parents will receive a phone call and further disciplinary actions may be taken. What I like about the ticket system is that it is consistent in every single elementary school in the district. I also like that it seems to be effective at keeping most of the younger kids "in line".

Our family was introduced to tickets last year when Sasha entered kindergarten. I'm proud to say that Sasha is very well-behaved at school. She doesn't want to get in trouble and wants her teachers to like her. So last year she was one of only two or three (I think) students in her class who didn't pull a single ticket. The only thing she got as far as I know was a warning for talking in the hallway. Not only were Cory and I proud of her, she was proud of herself.

First grade has been going much the same way. Sasha listens, does as she's asked, and is excelling at school. We couldn't be happier. Then on Monday of last week we got a bit of snow. Not much - just about an inch. And it happened. On Tuesday Cory met her at the bus stop. When they walked in the door I was greeted by big tears streaming down Sasha's face and she was sobbing about something I couldn't understand. Finally I made out what she was trying to say: She pulled a ticket. Her world came crashing down around her as she thought Cory and I would be mad and disappointed in her. Her perfect record was perfect no more.

So what did our dear, sweet girl do to pull a ticket? Did she cheat? Backtalk the teacher? Hit a classmate? Tell a lie? Talk out too much in class? Nope.

She threw a snowball.

And one of her friends told on her.

I had to laugh a bit when she told me what happened. She threw a snowball! Of all the things she could have done to get into trouble, this isn't anything major. I reassured her that it was ok and we weren't upset with her. In fact, I'm kind of glad that she finally did pull a ticket so she didn't have the pressure of being "perfect" all the way through school.

Of course, I also reminded her that she shouldn't have thrown the snowball and that someone could have gotten hurt. Kind of like last winter when I threw one towards her and busted her lip open because there was a chunk of ice in the snowball. Yikes!

I think this is a good lesson for Sasha. She's not perfect, but she sure is going to try hard to tow the line once again. Now if only I could enforce the ticket system here at home . . .