Grateful for...

... flowerpot hats! And the fact that my children are so cooperative when it comes to letting me take pictures. Avery still insists that I pay her $1 every time she poses for me, but on this particular occasion the thrill of the new hat made this one a freebie.

Grateful for::

Bright spots in long, dark, winters.

Easy Mornings...

With Mallie taking the photos....this is actually from today, but I'm using it for my Saturday 'light' photo.....catchin' up....

Hidden Treasure

Dan & I went browsing around the various thrift stores and tag sales in Akron today looking for the perfect "photo" chair - I found what I was looking for, the lone remaining piece from a set bought long ago by someone else, just waiting in a back room for me to find, $15 and we were out the door. I love old things. I love making up stories about where they have been and who they have belonged to.

Not Fence Friday

Glad you didn't do fence friday...because I'm not either:-D

Trent and I got almost exactly an hour to ourselves last night....so, what did we do? You know us...we drank wine:-D

Random Funnyness

Today I had my 3rd & final shoot for the week, and laughed {hysterically} when I realized I had caught this on camera. Oh, and I want to steal this baby. :)

Acting Silly

This is a proof from a session I had today with my friend's 3-yr old daughter, Emerson - she was twirling around and her hair got crazy with static!

Silly Thursdays?

Is that right? Ahhh I'm so tired, I don't even want to go look it up! Anyway, I think I'm right...and this is definitely fitting. Hilarious expression if you ask me!

Now, bedtime for me....or least rest-time....xo

Caught in a Moment

This morning while eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I took this picture of Avery with icing on her face... words: surprised, annoyed, innocent, loved.... God, I LOVE this kid! xoxo

Wordless Wednesday....

My first wordless Wednesday is this::Solitary. One solitary promise of spring to come......

Texture Tuesday!

I figured I'd take a cue from some of the older photos you've posted to flickr and try out my textures on this photo from Jillian's 5th birthday. Believe it or not, this was taken with a film camera!

First Texture Tuesday

Well...it snowed here again, and it is still coming down. In honor of that, I'm showing a photo from a couple of weeks ago (because my computer is going in for a boost today and I'm not sure if I'll get it back tonight or tomorrow, and who knows if I'd be able to upload a picture that I take today....) Hmmm that was a very run-on sentence....but whatever.
I need another cup of coffee. :-D

Bench Monday

Yep--I did do it:-D I'm still trying to keep up....a little behind but getting there!
This was my Bench Monday {barefoot in the kitchen, but definitely not pregnant!} edition. With Mallie's hands being wrapped up and her unable to use them, we are basically staying home, so I've been cooking up a storm (and staying in my jams:-D)

Happy Bench Monday!

There are no birds and butterflies out yet, so I added my own for the sake of wishful thinking. It was semi-warm and sunny this morning, then turned to light rain/snow mix. I strongly dislike Ohio weather. Grey is such a depressing color.

A Form of Art.... ?

I have to admit, this is a pretty tame maneuver for Avery - at least this time the only thing she ruined was her clean self... and maybe a small spot of her new duvet cover, but I'm not going to sweat it. I give her credit for creativity, the inner belly-button swirl is a nice touch. ;-)

Just another thing to add on to it....

Mallie burned her hands on Scott and Amy's stove last night. ER, IV of morphine and antibiotics, lots of pain, no bath for a week, she can't use her hands....can she PLEASE get a BREAK?!?!

(I think it's obvious why I didn't do 'light Saturday'...)

Practicing

I set this up in the living room to see if I could create a very dirty-vintage b/w look, and I think with the right model {please excuse the iCarly pajamas} it will look really cool. I have so many ideas for portraits and so few places to take them right now. I'm liking the home studio, though - now more than half of our livable space is used for my design ventures! haha

Playtime

It's still cold up here, so we have to make our own fun inside, which on most days means dressing up and watching movies. Here = both.

Happy Fence Friday!

Ok, Val, so here's another one. 'Fence Fridays' -- group on flickr. Wanna do this for one of our themes?

Other things I've thought of::
Sun spots Saturday (like photos that have a light flare, or any other cool 'light' stuff), Gratitude Sundays (obviously things we are grateful for--from our families to simple things like a special mug, etc.), Totally Texture Tuesday (show off our texture use!), Wordless Wednesday (trying to capture an emotion through photograph), Wacky Thursday (things like the photobooth would fit here...just stuff that is for fun!)....and I think that takes us through the week! LOL....anyway, what do you think? We could do these and then switch them up later, if you want....I think I am going to also create a section here where we can diptych our pictures (like a parallel vision type thing)
xo

Inspired....

...by your photo from earlier! :) Ha, yes, photobooth shots are apparently all the rage nowadays, the last wedding I went to had one and it was pretty cool. I like your idea of using them for family shoots, I bet kids will love this. (I coined it fauxtobooth, ha!) Glad to see you got to have some fun with your girlies too, today!!

Way to much serious stuff

Has been going on in the Elliott household. We needed to let loose a little...so we pretended we were in a photobooth! Fun:-D Definitely doing it again! (In fact Val....I think this will be a good 'add-on' to family sessions and even weddings---)

Wanted: Baby

Dan and I went thrifting yesterday and found this vintage pram- for $25!! I'm planning on using it as a photo prop. What I really wanted was a vintage-y couch or chair of some kind, but I couldn't find one, and this was too good to pass up. Can I use Liam as my model once he learns how to sit up? :)

These Boots Were Made for Cookin'

I've been reading The Pioneer Woman for literally years. I love her. (Seriously Ree Drummond...I love you!lol) Her cookbook just came out, and of course I snatched it up, and it is fantastic. It may just be enough to get me out of my 'I-only-cook-things-in-crockpots' rut that I've been in for 6 months.

So, Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman), this is for you. For inspiring all of us out there whow may have loved a city life (in another life), but are wherever our Marlboro Men take us--be it farms, ranches, pastures, or just plain rural America--thanks! You are the Bees Knees in my book:-D

catch-up.....

"My girl Lollipop ~

~ she makes my heart go giddyup!" (some fun with toy-camera action)

My First Bench Monday!

I think I did this right.... ? :) We still have snow on the ground here, but it's starting to warm up!

Happy Bench Monday!

The snow has melted here! Woot!

Bowling

Fun winter activities... still no comparison to green grass and sunshine.... *sigh*

Life's Like....

A bowl of cherries, yes?

Sometimes....

Baby Parts

An itty bitty triptych for an itty bitty baby.

What can I say...

...I'm a sucker for sleeping babies and cowgirls boots. :)

What They're Actually For

HA!

Make-Believe

No "real" school today, so we played "pretend" school. I don't know which I love more, Jillian giving the dolls a lecture on talking during class or Avery teaching them a song on her upside-down paper piano.

The Simple Things in Life {014/365}

I've taken to trying to photograph more everyday things. It reminds to enjoy the simple things in life, and I need that thought right now.

Distractions

I literally spent my entire day playing around with photos and learning textures.... WOW, as if I needed one more thing to distract me from my actual work! Addiction, consider yourself fed.

My day {013/365}

This is how my day usually looks (and Val, you now know it to be true! Ha!) Liam on me, Mallie leaning over me for a kiss, and Jools (there to the left) running around stark naked.

That is a day in my life....

Go Green

Finally got some sunlight today! It was a nice reminder that underneath all that white is an emerging layer of green....

Citrus Fruit {012/365}

One of the things I actually DO love about winter.

Pass me an orange.

Happy Feet

Fun with the girls, fun with the new lens, bright spot in my dreary day.

New Beginnings

I never realized how much difference a lens could make. Jenny, you have enlightened me - the view from behind my camera will never be the same again!

Happy Bench Monday {011/365}

I'm doing several ongoing projects on flickr this year, to get me up to speed, photographically speaking. One of them is 'Bench Monday'. It's cute. Check it out!

This monday, mine is Joolsie trying desperately to shove all her playclothes in the playclothes trunk. I think we need a bigger one....

Early Bird

Oh, how I wish I could crawl back into bed and snuggle the day away... this is the place I look forward to returning to every night, even though the mattress is slightly less than comfortable and the linens are all mismatched - to me, it's absolutely perfect.

Baby, it's still cold outside. ..........{010/365}

Yep. I'm gonna keep complaining till April. Watch me.
I had a photoshoot today at the Lafayette Hotel. The family was very cute, and the kids were adorable! Afterwards, I walked along the Levee for a bit, just to see the river frozen over. It is so amazing to see, all those enormous ice plates moving along at such a slow pace. This fence along the ridge overlooking the river seemed to go on forever in the extreme white.

Empty Beds

It's always nice to have some time to myself to get things done, but my heart always sinks when bedtime rolls around and I have no babes to tuck into bed with kisses and prayers. I hope they are having sweet dreams...

It. Is. So. Very. Cold. 009/365

Yet so pretty! In a much better mood today. Took a trip up to The Farm for sleighriding, four-wheeling, hot cocoa, and picture taking. Everything is WHITE!

(sorry for the double photos today...I couldn't help myself:-))

Blah {008/365}

I'm feeling very blah right now. I hate winter weather....and we are completely snowed under. This isn't even a good shot...I don't know why I'm putting it up other than I am behind tonight! I am trying to remember to take these winter days to do fun things myself, and with the girls, and 'create'-- paint, sew, bake, etc......(we'll see....)

Hazy Shade of Winter

Spending the day with my beautiful first-born :)

the Calm Before the Storm

The house is fast asleep under a blanket of snow, while the soldiers wait, in formation, to protect their troops from the wrath of winter...

Imagination {007/365}

"You see things and you say; why? But I dream things and I say; why not?"
~George Bernard Shaw

Snowy winter days mean cozying up on a blanket in the playroom and reading many, many, books; and imagining many, many, things!