Closing this blog

I have decided to switch to a new blog.  I wanted a new name, a new feel, a new ... I dunno. 

So I opened a new one. 

http://buildingwingspan.blogspot.com/

I'm not taking this one down totally, I need to comb through for links and things I want to keep.  So, till I close it consider this one

P:52 More catch up!

Two more and then I'll be ready to unvail this weeks "Planning" pictures :)

Underneath was fun for me. I've taken a similar picture before so I kind of cheated but I just LOVE the way this looks. And when we went to a local nature center and we were walking the path the pine trees just called to me to snap em. They should be good for something at least (I hate the pines, the amount of needles they drop every year is ridiculous. and the pollen they spew is ridiculous). And they really give the picture the feeling of underneath to me. I think I may have overshot the vibrance for the blue sky. I will probably play with it some more later now that I'm seeing it again :P

I wasn't sure what to do for this because the two of them together was a difficult thing. Should I pose something? I wasn't sure about that. BUT then I walked out and saw my flower tree. See I don't know what kind of tree it is. It flowers as soon as there are 3 warm days in a row in February. Then in the first 2 weeks of March the flowers fall off and the leaves pop open. It's always so sad because the flowers are GORGEOUS these thick (almost magnolia thickness) purple and white flowers, so large and just beautiful and they just disappear. :( BUT it gives me autumn in spring :) Because I have the bright spring green of the new leaves and the brown withered petals that are so large they look like leaves on the ground.

I did minimal work on this picture. I cropped it a tiny bit and brightened it and saturated the green a little. :)

Make ups for my P:52 projects.

I've been SO busy.  Sigh.  February and the beginning of March turned out to be one of the busiest times I can remember!  But I've got all of the photos for the matching weeks processed now :)

So without any further ado:

First up was Romance.  This fell right when my brother and now sister-in-law were getting married.  :) How fortuitous that they had asked me to be their photographer!

This shot got it's background cleaned up a tiny bit and that's really it.  Otherwise it's Straight out of the camera!


The following week was spirit and I saw some awesome pictures.  One I really wanted to take was a prancing horse, but I didn't have the opportunity.
Instead I went with scary :) Spirt=ghost type thing :)  Because we have these OLD birdhouses in the backyard that once were probably gorgeous and lovely
but now are just creepy. We rent for now but even if this was my house someone else would have to pull them down because I'm not touching them. Ever. Of course I had to black and white it for that Psycho Birdhouse feel and I upped the contrast to give the shadows more prominence. I think it screams "spirits in here" :)



 
Next up was Vegetables. 
The Boy is checking out his produce. He does this often. He LOVES greens. Any kind, salad type, cooked, lettuce on sandwiches or broccoli for snack. Here he is eyeing the leafy stuff.  In a previous picture he had his mouth all open going 'yum yum yum' lol :) I upped the vibrance to make that green pop and left it alone otherwise.




I think that's enough for one post, but I'll get the next two out and everything soon.  :)

Moaning Monday: The Brain Fever of Curriculum Shopping.

Since we've been plowing through our various material (the Girl is done with her Math, the boy has 3 weeks left, they both have 2 weeks left for LA, etc, etc) I've started to hesitiatingly think ahead to next year.

I say hesitatingly because I love curriculum.

I love all curriculum.  Even that which I can never use because it doesn't match my beliefs.  I love flipping through Christian Light, or Abeka, or Charlotte Mason stuff or Well-trained Mind, etc. etc. etc.

So when I start peeking just a little it's kind of a joke. 

Because I can't just look at A Reason For Spelling.  I have to look at that, and All About Spelling, and Spectrum, and about a dozen others include do-it yourself ones.  And it just inflames me.  I feel like my brain starts going 100 mph and I can't get a handle on it to stop it.  There is no way to yell WOAH. 

So if I start to ask 2000 questions or start posting tons of links to freebies, deals, or reviews you'll know what's happening.

In the meantime I'm going to start the rounds on science curriculum reviews :P 

Sweet Shot Tuesday

Straight out of the camera.  :)
Lovely light, I adore this picture.  And I adore spending time at the park with the kids. 

Isn't the Baby getting so big?


The Girl and her dirt.


The little Boy telling me to take his picture.


want more Sweet Shots?  Follow the linky :)

Monday with no moaning

I just can't complain today.

I know scores of mommies are bemoaning Daylights Savings time right now.  They have to wake up when it's still dark again, it's hard to adjust.

BUT since I stay home it's amazing.

Because the Boy is a rooster.  An 8 year old rooster.


He wakes up between 6-6:30 almost all year.

EXCEPT for the 3-4 weeks after Spring Forward DST that it's still dark in the morning. 

This morning it was 7:15.  I will expect it to gradually shift.  But for now I'm 'sleeping in' and it feels soooo nice.

And kind of sad.  I used to 'sleep in' till noon in college.  Now...not so much.  I miss it sometimes.  I do.  :)

Wonderful Wednesday: The Sookie Stackhouse Novels

So I don't multitask well.  Or rather I don't when you throw in one singular activity: Reading.

Once I start reading I've been known to get so absorbed it's ridiculous.  I sometimes have to be touched or shouted at to recognize that someone is trying to get my attention. And I LOVE reading.  So it's hard not to do so during periods of time when I just can't afford to be that absorbed.

But I threw caution to the wind and fired up my ereader (LOVE IT.  LOVE my Sony Ereader.  Love.  love.) and started rereading the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

If you haven't read them they are about vampires 'coming out' to the world and some of the repercussions for the world from that and in particular one lady (Sookie).  The HBO show Trublood is loosely based on the novels (and are great in their own way as long as you realize they are LOOSELY based on them).  And they are like...I dunno.  What is the junkiest junk food you can think of? 

There's no real thought to them, though they COULD HAVE been made into a social commentary on discrimination (think V. or Alien Nation).  They COULD HAVE been made into a social commentary on religious doctrine.

But they aren't.  They are just junk food for your brain.  And oh so yummy to read.  Rated R though, definitely not for sharing with your kids.  Definitely Rated R.  Which not everyone can handle or enjoy but I happen to do both :)

I love reading these books and I love that there are so many.  Because one of the most heartbreaking things when you read is finding a good set of characters and then running out of books to read about them.