looking back

lately, i have been going through older photos of when my girls were little.
they kind of made me cringe! the photos, that is!!
 cringe in the,"eww, my composition or lighting in this pic stunk!" ;)
otherwise, i look back and smile at those little round faces. :) which is really what matters.
but now that i know more about photography, i can't help but dissect my lack of photography
knowledge in those days...i mean, i had NO clue about lighting, aperture, shutter speed, ISO or overall image quality.
i am VERY thankful that i know more now!! haha! i am even a little scrupulous with my iPhone pics!
in the end, i am even more thankful that i have those little, beautiful faces to look at and remember because they, indeed, DO grow up so fast!
i have made an effort to go back and scrapbook those images and tell the stories that i remember.
so many good ones. i have at least 3-4 more layouts planned using old pictures with my new scrapbooking style. it's been fun. i look at some photos and think, wow! that seemed like yesterday, and others seem like so long ago...but to me, this one seems just like yesterday...

do you go back and scrap old, not so great photos or do you stay with all current stuff?
i would challenge you to go back to the old stuff. while it may not be perfect, the person, the memory, the story, it still remains!! tell it!! :)

happy wednesday, friends!!
xoxo

what i do best

i've wondered a lot about what i do best.
at times i have thought that it has to be something BIG, grandeur, if you will.
gifts, talents.
something that everyone would take notice of.
what i do best doesn't receive a lot of praise. most of the time what i do best goes
unnoticed to the everyday eye. i don't get applause. i don't receive a "good job" most
days. heck, i don't receive monetary compensation for my efforts. some most perceive
my job as mundane and could never do it, or never just do that...that lowly job.
but what i do best matters most to me and matters to God.
it was something i was completely untrained to do, and certainly not even near
being ready when the blessing was laid before me at the tender age of 19.
fortunately for me my job, which God granted me, also came with LOTS of grace
and a ton of growth.  God is good like that.

yesterday, my youngest was at home sick with me--first sickness of the year.
as i was taking her temperature, giving her meds, checking her throat, and making my famous
"this will heal what ails you chicken soup" i realized THIS is what i do best. THIS...in all
of its glory, taking care of my family.
some people might say, "Well, I take care of my family, work 40+ hours a week, volunteer at school, make meals for the sick, etc...." and I say that is wonderful! Great even!! God has equipped others to
accomplish much more with their lives, but I am not going to let comparison be the thief of what gives me joy.

yes, i am an educated woman. i received my Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing as a young, married mom and worked as an RN, but it was never a good fit for me. so, i chose to walk away from a job that paid well to take on a job that has been the most challenging job i have ever had with the greatest of rewards. :)
i am lucky. i am blessed.

so, here's to all of you Moms out there. period. whether you are a stay at home Mom, a Mom that works out of the home plus all of your mom duties. give THEM, your family, your best... because they matter, relationships matter. all of them.
as Moms and women it is important that we encourage one another, not tear one another down.
be encouraged, even through the tough days because even the tough days matter. the tough days might even matter a bit more than the happy days because they strengthen and refine us to be better.

you will most likely never see me receive the "Mom of the Year" award because i am a quiet behind the scenes kind of worker. my house is not spic and span and Pottery Barn worthy.
but i do the best that i can most days. i won't lie, there are days that are tough. very tough. i question if this is indeed what i am supposed to do with my life. then, i have days where i beam and it is worth every ounce of my blood, sweat and tears. lots of tears people--i have 3 girls!! ;)
i can't imagine doing anything else with my life right now. :)

blessings, friends!
have a happy weekend full of love!!

end of the month | currently...

time: 10:42 am
feeling: not so hot...but at least i know "why" now! hallelujah! (will know more after mar 1st)
thinking: trying not to think so much lately
eating: Cadbury  mini eggs. someone needs to hide these STAT!
wanting: to just chill
wishing: for spring and taking more pictures
organizing: photos and other stuff
packing: little bits at a time...still
wondering: when we will actually close on this house and move...
needing: to clean, but don't wanna. childish, i know
listening: to the quiet that i love so much
creating: more... 'nuff said :)

linking up to Tina over at life.love.paper and her concept of "currents"
it's fun, you should try it. :)

it's how she sees it

it all started as she carried all of her scrapbooks out to the living room to look through them.
i was in the office doing something and was happy to see that she likes to haul them out and look through them from time to time. i love that about her. i love that watching her reinforces why i scrapbook in the first place.
then, she said something that would take me aback, "Why don't you "normal" scrapbook anymore, Mom?"
huh? what do you mean? i thought to myself at first.... after all, i had been scrapbooking like a mad woman since about Oct or Nov of 2011, more than i had scrapbooked in years!!
i had done the December Daily, a day in the life, was attempting to take on Project Life so i thought that i had been scrapping my butt off!
so, i just asked her what she meant by that.
you see, to her, my 11 yr. old daughter, my scrapbooking has always been layouts that get put into books so she can look back through them at her leisure. lately, i had been doing more project based things--somewhat nontraditional, but memory keeping nonetheless.
i said, "you're right...i haven't been doing that type of memory keeping as much." i had been a little, but she has seen the layout production go down...way down the last few years...
so, i got busy. i had been struggling with PL in the first place and had set that aside.
i looked through my stack of photos and lovely supplies--it doesn't take much for me-- and have cranked a few out over this last week! :)
what i found that i LOVED was this first layout of taking a photo from 2003 and scrapping my heart. seeing how time flies, how they don't stay little and how badly i need this hobby of scrapbooking and photography to remember all of these little moments. :)

as i try to be more self disciplined and intentional with my life, i know that i need to do this, this type of memory keeping for me and my family.

it's all good.

i decided to show a pullback of my little "studio" set up to photograph these layouts. i laughed, but it worked great!!

 moving boxes, poster board, little bit of Scotch tape and voila! of course, i set up next to some larger windows for the filtered natural light. then i pull my photos into iPhoto to delete any obvious blurrier than i want photos. finished editing and resizing in PS, and i am ready!! all i normally do with my editing is adjust the sliders a bit in Camera RAW for tones and exposure that i like. i will apply an action to my photos from time to time. resize and sharpen for web and i am done. i have to admit that i play around with photos a little more b/c i enjoy it!! :)

i am not done with project life, either. just slower about it.
going to do the Feb month in review soon. we have lots going on this month!!
and March is almost upon us!! wow!

lots to share today!
thanks for stopping by!
xo

happy birthday, mr. handsome! :)

we don't always get along...
sometimes i think we are more different than the same.
he's outgoing, i'm shy.
i like to relax, he never stops.
i laugh all the time, he is serious.
he dives in, i am analytical.
the list could go on...
in the end, we balance each other out and love.
i can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else. :)

you lift me up...

been inspired by songs so much lately.
a *love*ly layout to share this Friday.
reminding myself that without the strength and love of this
man in my life, i would be incomplete.
he lifts me up! <3

have a happy weekend!
collect moments with the ones you love! :)
xoxo

hello, Monday

preparing for a busy week ahead.
my mind and my intentions are focused on moving.
wanting to get out and take photographs because i am missing it.
scrapping a little here and there.
seeking peace through it all.

have a great Monday wherever you may be!! :)

feb.1st currents | happenings | whatevs

location: messy office
drinking: coffee. it's the morning. always.
eating:  Fage yogurt. total yumminess :)
changing: the blog
thinking: lots of change to come
wondering: what life will be like in 6 months
needing: a hair trim (it's been 8 months)
loving: that i am comfortable with my style
doing: a little bit of packing daily
feeling: at peace :)


that's all folks.
make Wednesday fabulous!!
xo :)


ps:  the idea of the "currents" theme comes from
Tina over at life.love.paper blog