Triumph

April 1, 201613 Comments

My triumph today was all about smiles, both mine and my kids’. See, it’s been a rough day. It started early when my car died on the way to work. *sigh* Luckily, I have a pretty awesome coworker who came to pick me up and a husband who had the day off and was able to get my car back on the road.

I also have something delicious cooking in the kitchen. 😉

Apparently Cricket had a hard day, too. Bubbles beat him at football and refused a rematch due to dark and cold conditions. Luckily, Miss Tadpole had a fluffy bunny with which to cheer him up:

Someone just wants to play football.

Tuvok to the rescue!

There’s a smile!

And now that all is well with the world (or at least with my kids), I’m off to enjoy a nice and hopefully relaxing evening at home. Have a great weekend!

What puts a smile on your face when you’re feeling down?

Double

March 31, 2016March 31, 201610 Comments

For today’s challenge, I had a little bit of fun:

My younger two boys go everywhere together, and they’re so similar in size that I get asked all the time if they’re twins (they’re not). The first image is of my father-in-law exploring an auction with them. The second image is my husband exploring our new farm with the same two boys. I love that I was able to create two such similar photographs. These are two of my favorite pictures of my boys.

Do you have favorite candid shots of your family?

Edge

March 30, 2016March 31, 20162 Comments

I love old cornerstones like this:

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It’s located on the corner of the Hardin County Courthouse and it makes me smile every time I walk past us. I don’t know why; maybe it’s because the old ones are more ornate than the newer ones I’ve seen. The one on the Eldora Methodist Church is even prettier, and I know I have a picture of it somewhere, but do you think I can find it?

Of course not.

*sigh*

And on that note, here’s a less literal photo for today’s edge theme:

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If this doesn’t say, “Live life on the edge,” I don’t know what does. 🙂

Glass

March 29, 2016March 31, 20162 Comments

This is one of my all-time favorite glass photos:

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It’s the bathroom window in my old house on a frosty winter morning. The window faced west, and I love the way the early morning light was captured in the frozen condensation. This image is so full of color and texture that I could stare at it for hours.

Treasure

March 28, 2016March 31, 2016Leave a comment

Of all the things I treasure, I treasure my family the most. That definition extends to the many cats who’ve inhabited the grounds outside our humble house over the past couple of years, as well as all the cats I’ve left behind (lookin’ at you, Baldy and Biggest and Fluffmaster Flex; rest in peace, Tubby Moo-Cow).

Mr. Oscar is one such cat. We found a new home for him a couple of summers ago, and he died the very next day. Poor little guy was full of worms, unbeknownst to us at the time. But what strikes me about this image is that he has a very particular treasure: a mouse. And what’s more, it’s the mouse that got away:

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Literally – he thought he’d killed it, so he let it go. After playing dead for a moment, the mouse sprang up and made a mad dash into the grass, never to be seen or heard from again (at least, not by me).

The memory of the mouse that got away and the cat who tried to eat him are things I’ll treasure for a very long time indeed. What about you – what do you treasure?

Experiment: Hone your eye!

March 27, 2016March 31, 20162 Comments

We had an Easter egg hunt today, and the boys had a lot of fun:

They didn’t quite reach their quota of 15 eggs apiece, but they didn’t seem to care. They were eggcited enough about running around outside with their cousins. How was your Easter?

Landscape

March 25, 20166 Comments

There’s an old joke about winter in Iowa and how Iowa is the most beautiful state. It’s written in the form of diary entries by someone who’s just moved here, and as summer turns to winter and finally to spring, the writer’s attitude about my home state grows worse and worse. It’s hilarious because I’ve thought similar things at some point in my life.

That said, Iowa really is a beautiful state. We have it all, from rocky bluffs and high hills to plains where you can see for miles. There’s no other place I’d rather be from. Behold, the glory of the Hawkeye State!

Have a safe and happy Easter weekend, everybody!

Scale

March 24, 20162 Comments

There are many things I love about this picture:

I love the colors. I love how otherworldly the whole scene feels. But what I love most is the memories I have from the day I shot this picture. I was out in the yard with my kids, teaching them a few things about photography for their 4-H projects. I happened to see this lonely little violet underneath one of the pine trees in our yard, and I couldn’t help shooting it.

There’s a whole other world out there. You just have to get down in the dirt to find it.

Also? That’s a twig in the picture, not a full-size branch. 🙂

Moment

March 23, 20164 Comments

Last weekend I attended my goddaughter’s first birthday party, and all I can say is holy cuteness:

“But Mom…”

“…I have to serve the tea!”

Her favorite gift seemed to be the talking tea set. And who could blame her? Tea should be part of every day. As a character in a fantastic book once said, “Life is not bearable without tea.”

Architecture

March 22, 201610 Comments

I’m lucky to live in an area full of beautiful old buildings. From churches to courthouses to businesses and homes, Iowa has a wealth of beautiful architecture.