You Capture – Family

 

This week’s photo challenge for You Capture is Family. For more great entries, just click on the photo and enjoy!

 

 

 

Unfortunately, this week, well, I didn’t do so good. It has just been a crazy week with hubby working a lot of hours, the oldest working and cramming for big Chemistry exams, and just general chaos. Not to mention the weather not being overly cooperative. Trying to get everyone together for photos just wasn’t going to get to happen. <sigh> Life. It has a way of getting in the way of the best of plans!

Always one to try and make Lemonade though… we had a bit of time on Monday without obligations and Hubby, Greeter, and I ran over to a park in a nearby town that I was wanting to ‘scout’ for possible senior pictures for Model. There are some beautiful Victorian homes and buildings that are part of a historic park laid out with wonderful little gardens and a shallow river running nearby. Model has always loved the water and is very outdoorsy – in a “please, God, don’t let me sweat’ kind of way… so I thought it might be fun to get some of her senior pics by the river – but wanted to check the layout and such. Of course, one look at the water and Greeter had to at least ‘dip her feet!’

 

The lighting was terrible, but this is still a great ‘family’ moment to me. Even though she couldn’t be with us at the moment, our oldest was defiantely with us in heart and mind; and just watching the love and playfulness between Dad and Greeter as they wandered along the riverbank on their way towards me warmed my soul – and to me - that is what family is all about.

I’ve also been working on our family genealogy and was editing this photo the other day to include – it is the only time that all of the 3rd generation of grand kids have been together on my Dad’s side of the family. (these would be the great-grandchildren to my grandparents) Although, I took the photo a last summer, I hope no one minds a ‘bit’ of cheating…

Happy shooting,

Nique

Things you don’t want to hear…

when walking out the door on my way to the store…

Greeter: “Dad! Quick! Plug your nose! Plug your nose NOW Daddy!”

Dad, laughing: “Why??”

Greeter: “Do it!!”

Dad plugs nose…

Greeter: “Whew! That one was stinky!”

—————————————————————–

I have never understood ‘bathroom humor.’ I just don’t think it’s funny and it’s usually not appropriate – so why did God grace me with a family who thinks it ranks right up there with “Who’ s on First?”  Who says God doens’t have a sense of humor?

Back to Holland

Before I totally pull a ‘blonde moment’ which I do. Frequently. Too frequently. I thought I’d go back to our trip to Holland from a couple of weeks ago. Wow! Has it already been 2 weeks? School isn’t even out yet, but the summer is already rushing past!

One of the things I really wanted to do while we were in Holland was to visit Windmill Island. I couldn’t wait to see a working windmill up close and personal. There is just something so poetic, so romantic about them. (Hmm… a working system designed to mill flour to bake bread = more work for, typically, women…and I think this is romantic? Maybe I should think about that a bit more… but not now! )

One thing that totally surprised me was that the entire top of the windmill is basically a turret – and turns so that the miller can turn the blades into the wind as necessary. It makes sense of course, I just never realized. And to think of that type of technology ‘way back when.’     That’s cool!

See those spoke things? Those are connected to what looks like a huge spoke wheel. The miller steps on the spokes of the wheel (like climbing a ladder) and that in turn actually turns the top.

Onr of the things that really struck us, was that from the outside, the windmill seemed almost disappointingly small. Yet once you were inside – it seemed emense! Huge! And it was 5 stories tall (not counting the turret part at the top)Everything on the ‘island’ was so picture perfect it really took one back to days gone by. A slower pace. Time to actually stop and smell the roses, tulips, that is…

Happy shooting,

Nique

Rite of Spring… Soccer practice

Last night was yet another soccer practice – usually, I let hubby handle the soccer practices (grabbing an hour of uninterupted time = priceless) but last night I tagged along with my camera. And I am so glad I did! This spring has been so wet here we haven’t really gotten to have too many – seriously the first 3 games we had to play with no practices under our belts! It has been crazy. Yesterday though? Was perfection. In the low 80s and sunny. Perfect time for Mom to grab her camera and tag along…

 

And what does Greeter do when she is playing defense and all the action is at the other end of the field??

It’s been really nice seeing improvement in their skills – it may be slow but it is fairly steady. Though I don’t think our Olympic team has any worries! haha

Happy shooting,

Nique’

Signs that your MIL has a problem..

with shopping! I just ‘rotated’ Greeter’s closet for summer wear and ended up donating 33 pairs of pants/capris; 14 shirts; 3 sweatshirts; and more misc. items – at least 25% that Greeter NEVER wore! uggg… On the one hand, of course ‘it’s a nice problem to have’ on the other hand – there are so many kids who could benefit from it and the best I can do is donate them and hope the kids who need it most are getting some help.

You Capture…Sweet

This morning I’m participating for the first time in Beth’s You Capture challenge.. It has been amazing looking at all of the entries.

For me, nothing is sweeter than getting time with both my girls at once, outside, snapping photos. All too often, the oldest is off to work, doing homework, or hanging with friends and the little one just doesn’t like slowing down. at all. ever. 

But yesterday afternoon, the Photog gods smiled at me and gave me almost an hour with both my girls and no interruptions. It was heavenly!

Happy shooting,

Nique’

On the Homefront

Sometimes we just have to slow down long enough to enjoy our kids. With every day there are new worries, hectic schedules, never-enough-time-to-get-it-all-done; sometimes, we just have to slow down.

Monday night, our youngest was begging to go to the park – nothing and no one was going to stand in her way – unfortunately, it was about 20 minutes before her bedtime. So in an effort to stop the incessant whining, pleading, and deal-making she was trying; I told her that on Tuesday I’d pack a lunch and we’d head to the park for a picnic and some playtime right after school (she is in 1/2 day kinder). Even before the bus turned the corner at the end of the block I had a bag all packed with a light lunch and the camera bag ready to go. She was so excited!

Have I said before how much I am loving my new camera? It’s amazing! My last point and shoot digital was so slow that I rarely got the ‘intended’ picture. Press button – wait 15 seconds – MAYBE it will decide to take a shot. Not the case now! I actually get pictures of her smiling – and her eyes aren’t really crossed! Woot! (Unfortunately, our youngest, though perfect in my eyes – did not inherit the photogenic gene that our oldest did. The oldest couldn’t take a bad picture if she were covered in mud and rolled in leaves! It really isn’t fair! LoL)

 

Why is it that the first thing she always does – EVERYWHERE – is take off her shoes?

 

Here are a few taken in our backyard a couple of weeks ago… this day is actually why I got the new camera. I had tried for 30 minutes or more to get some decent pictures to share with grandparents and nothing… not one was really any good. These I actually got with my oldest’ cell phone!

 

and the oldest?

See what I mean? So not fair!

Anyway, slowing down to play “tag” with the camera and my youngest was one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while – just hearing her squeals of laughter was worth putting off the laundry for an hour!

Happy shooting,

Nique’

A Cash Cow.. sorta..

Ever wonder why we associate tulips with Holland? I wasn’t sure myself, so I decided to look it up.

From http://www.historyofholland.com/tulips-of-holland.html:

The word “tulip” recalls one of the strangest popular follies that has ever been seen in the world, which showed itself in Holland toward the middle of the seventeenth century. The country at that time had reached the height of prosperity; antique parsimony had given place to luxury; the houses of the wealthy, very modest at the beginning of the century, were transformed into little palaces; velvet, silk, and pearls replaced the patriarchal simplicity of the ancient costume; Holland had become vain, ambitious, and prodigal.

After having filled their houses with pictures, hangings, porcelain, and precious objects from all the countries of Europe and Asia, the rich merchants of the large Dutch cities began to spend considerable sums in ornamenting their gardens with tulips – the flower which answers best to that innate avidity for vivid colors which the Dutch people manifest in so many ways.

…Bulbs of the favorite tulips of the rarer varieties rose to fabulous prices; some constituted a fortune; like a house, an orchard, or a mill; one bulb was equivalent to a dowry for the daughter of a rich family; for one bulb were given, in I know not what city, two carts of grain, four carts of barley, four oxen, twelve sheep, two casks of wine, four casks of beer, a thousand pounds of cheese, a complete dress, and silver goblet.

Wow! Who knew? The tulip was the precursor of the Prada bag! An elite symbol of wealth that seemingly was available to anyone. At least here at the gardens in Holland even the ‘less than wealthy’ can enjoy their beauty. Unfortunately, our trip ended up being about a week or so too late so see them all in their full glory, many of the bulbs had already dropped and soon will be sleeping again until next spring.

 

Happy shooting,

Nique’

Visa NOT Required

Even though it looked and felt as though we traveled half-way around the world this past weekend, truly it was just a few hours away. Imagine windmills, wooden shoes, and rolling hills… and WIND! OMG, the wind was crazy in Holland, Michigan this past weekend! But hubby and I braved the cold and got some great pictures.

Although this windmill isn’t a working one, it looked so beautiful on this hill (with tulips down below of course) standing guard over the gardens.

I’ve had fun with photoshop actions in the past but this one is one of my favorites.

 

I’ll be posting some more shots from our all-to-brief trip soon!

Happy shooting,

Nique’

In a galaxy far, far away…

In a galaxy far, far away, a long, long time ago, there was a blog… (ok, the in-house nerd will be stepping way from the the keyboard now) although I stepped away from blogging for a while I’m back. The focus will be different but like everything in life change can be good. Last week I splurged… a huge splurge for me (and my family) and bought a  

yes, a Canon Rebel XSi – the forbidden fruit for many years. Besides chronicling my daughters growing up though, I want to use it to better myself as a photographer. With that in mind, I’ve challenged myself to make a point of using this gorgeous camera every day for the next year. Better some mediocre pictures than it becoming a rather large dusty paperweight. Welcome to my life through pictures…

I am a complete novice at, and have only used ‘point and shoot’ cameras up to this point so I welcome your advice and hints and hope to see a real change over the next year. This should be fun!