On our way...

Day 59/365
We are on our way to Florida! We have stopped in Effingham, IL for the night and will continue on to Tifton, GA tomorrow. It will be a long day in the car, for sure. Our hotel is under renovation and when I saw the caution tape I had to chuckle to myself. We will remember to be cautious on our drive tomorrow.

Fluffy Pie

Day 58/365
Meet Fluffy Pie, one of the many farm cats that roam about our property. Fluffy Pie (who was named by Enavi) always has a slightly disgruntled look on his face, perhaps due to the freezing cold weather, or maybe it's because of his name (he really is quite fluffy, so the name fits). No one really knows for sure, but he was kind enough to pose for this picture today.

Collage: Week 8

Collage: Week 7

This Old Door

Day 57/365
It was too cold to go anywhere today, so I was stuck taking pictures around the house. This old wooden door has lots of character - from cracked and peeling paint to the patina on the doorknob. It's fun to find things that I see every day and look at them in a new way through my camera lens.

Good Morning, Sunshine

Day 56/365
I took this picture first thing this morning. I love Enavi's messy hair, still fresh from sleep. We were on our way to make pancakes and I'm glad that I caught her on the stairs just as our day was beginning.

Playing with Sparklers

Day 55/365
Sparklers are always fun, but there is something special about pulling out a box of sparklers in the dead of winter. Plus, you can light them up at 6:30pm and still have the kids in bed on time - bonus! My kiddos were happy to wave around some sparklers while I took some pictures this evening. There were several in the batch that I liked, but the kids and I agreed that that this one was the most impressive.

Creeping Vine

Day 54/365

Baby J

Day 53/365
We had the chance to visit with extended family today and we had lots of fun telling stories, sharing jokes and catching up. I was able to take some candid shots of Baby J, the newest member (although he is almost a year old, already!). He is so sweet and good natured, and those baby-blues are absolutely huge! I've always liked black and white photos of babies - they are so striking - so I decided to share this picture. I am so thankful to have spent a day surrounded by family.

Oreo Truffles

Day 52/365
We've been busy making treats to share at a family get-together tomorrow. These Oreo truffles are tasty and look so festive with the colorful sprinkles on top.

New Project

Day 51/365
I cast on the stitches for a new knitting project today with some beautiful yarn I bought last week. I love starting new projects and I'm excited to see how my cowl will turn out.

Puddle Jumping

Day 50/365
We had enough snow melt over the last couple of days that we were able to find some puddles to jump in. Enavi was so excited to put on her galoshes and slosh, splash and jump away. She was soaked by the time we got home from our walk, but she had a huge smile on her face.

Sledding with Friends

Day 49/365
The weather was beautiful today - a perfect day to go sledding with friends, build snowmen, and have snowball fights. The warmer temps made the snow perfect for packing and we had a great time playing outside. I caught this little cutie deep in the snow and I loved this profile shot. Hooray for the sunshine!

Slinky Rainbow

Day 48/365
Every Slinky that comes into our house is destined to the same fate - a tangled, destroyed mess. I don't know if it's just us, or perhaps this happens to all young Slinky owners? One would think that inventors of the Slinky could come up with a newfangled "tangle proof" version of the classic toy. This picture is actually TWO Slinkies tangled together - just when you thought tangled Slinkies couldn't get more frustrating!

Flower Skeleton

Day 47/365
The kids and I went on a walk this afternoon and I found the dried remains of a flower peeking through the snow. I thought the pointy tips of the flower center were really interesting, as well as how it caught the afternoon sunlight. Simple and almost a silhouette, I chose this pic for today's post. The air is feeling warmer and we heard birds chirping on our walk. We all agreed that it was a great afternoon to be outside.

Jump!

Day 46/365
We took some time to get outside this afternoon and enjoy the snow. Well, some of us enjoyed the snow, and the other one endured the cold because Mom made her. :) I wanted to take some pictures showing action, and asked Jevin to jump off of some snow piles in our driveway. He was happy to oblige, and this shot was my favorite. I like the snow flying, the body position in mid-air and the sunshine glowing off the top of the snow. I am so glad that it has warmed up enough that we can get some outdoor playtime in our day.

Collage: Week 6

Sweet Valentine

Day 45/365
My sweet girl is smart, funny, and so thoughtful of others. She has a spunky streak and a wonderful giggle that fills my heart with joy. She loves playing with her friends, creating beautiful works of art and singing songs. I am so blessed to have her as one of my special Valentines.

Sugar Cookies

Day 44/365
I spent most of the afternoon making treats to share for Valentine's Day. Sugar cookies are always yummy, but they sure can be a lot of work!

Silly Faces

Day 43/365
I love this kid! He is so smart, thoughtful and kind and he has this amazing sense of humor. He is at that perfect age when intellectual humor makes sense. He loves to be goofy and his favorite thing right now is to make up jokes and puns. I was in stitches when I was taking these pictures of him with his fake mustache. The hat was totally his idea and he loved hamming it up for the camera. I know that I can count on my little man for a smile.

Winter Mailboxes

Day 42/365
I spotted these mailboxes on the way home and I had to stop and take a picture. These sad, snow-packed, salt-covered mailboxes sum up this winter with no words necessary. We are all ready for some warmer weather!

L-O-V-E

Day 41/365
A sweet little bracelet made by my sweet little girl. I liked the vibrant colors in this picture, and the sentiment seemed appropriate with Valentine's Day just around the corner.

Moon: Waning Gibbous

Day 40/365
The time was creeping later into the evening hours and I had yet to take a single picture. I decided to set up shop outside and take a few shots of the moon. I had done some research a few months ago on just how to do this and it was really spectacular to see the moon in such detail in my pictures. The only trouble I had with the process was my tripod. The camera needed to point almost directly overhead and my tripod was having a hard time supporting the weight of the my telephoto lens at such an angle. Next time I will have to try to catch the moon closer to the horizon.

Snowy Sunset

Day 39/365
I have this thing about sunsets... I love to watch the sun go down and see the beautiful display of colors in the sky. It's like this perfect little gift from God at the end of the day. I feel like He's telling me, "Today is a wrap, and all of the bad stuff that happened today is over and done with. Time to let it go. And guess what? You get a whole new day tomorrow, another chance to love your kids better, another chance to get that housework done that you've been putting off, another chance to practice patience, another chance to live in the moment, another chance to serve me."

Bubble Wrap

Day 38/365
We received a package in the mail earlier this week and I saved a scrap piece of bubble wrap for an art project with the kids (the kids demolished the rest of it with glee). I pulled the wrap out today and took a few shots of it with the afternoon light filtering through the bubbles. I found the bubbles gave the picture unique light and texture patterns. Makes you want to just squeeze the wrap to hear that satisfying POP!

Collage: Week 5

Self Portrait 2

Day 37/365
I attempted another self-portrait session today, and tested out my new remote. I am still working out the best way to take self-portraits with this system, but it was fun to try some different expressions and posing. I am finding I definitely prefer portraits of myself in black and white - it just seems kinder on the wrinkles, somehow (holy crow's feet, Batman!). I also discovered how difficult it is to photograph someone wearing glasses and not get any glare. The picture above was my favorite of the bunch: note the lack of glasses. :)

Sequins

Day 36/365
Something shiny and sparkly to brighten up this winter Wednesday!

Green Flower

Day 35/365
I was looking for some color today and found some in a bouquet of flowers I purchased a week ago. The flowers have held up surprisingly well! I don't know the name of this particular flower, but I have seen it often in floral arrangements at the grocery store. I like the interesting shape of the petals and how they curl slightly at the tips. I never tire of photographing flowers - there is always a new way to look at petal, stem or stamen.

Lines

Day 34/365
We had a long drive home today, and I am thankful for good weather and clear roads. We made it home in record time since we've been traveling with kids - we were even home before dark. I passed the latter part of the trip by playing around with my camera, taking some pictures with longer exposures of the landscape outside my window. I caught some interesting images, but this was my favorite. This image is from the side of a semi cab with a light trail from one of the blinkers. I tried something new and came up with a cool, abstract image - kinda fun!

Quiet Reading

Day 33/365
We had a quiet day at Rose Lake, enjoying some time with Nana and Grandpa before we head home tomorrow. The kids had some reading time this afternoon. I love the look of concentration on my little one's face - so serious and focused on her book. She is becoming quite the reader and even shared a Mr. Putter and Tabby book with Grandpa today. She is so proud of herself when she finishes a new chapter book.

Maple Leaf

Day 32/365
We spent a little bit of time outside this morning. While the kids were sledding and playing around on the ice I took a few pictures of these leaves. I am impressed with their persistence, hanging on to the branch since last fall and enduring the winds of a Minnesota winter. Unlike these leaves, I didn't last long outside as the air temp was around 4 degrees with a brisk wind - brrrrr! The funeral service for Grandma Ann was very nice and I am so glad that we could be here with family, remembering what a kind, lovely, special woman she was and celebrating her love of family and love of God.