Panning For Pics.

Today we had some spring weather. Storm clouds, bizarre temp changes from cool to very warm to cool, but we never did get the forecasted storms. It was a great day spent outdoors. We even had some sunshine in there. The kids took full advantage and pulled out shorts.









Wish I had half their energy, their determination, or their thirst for life. They seriously amaze me.



I practiced my panning some. A technique I have yet to master. If you haven't tried it, just select a slower shutter speed than you normally do. It seemed to work best when the sun was out. Perhaps my shutter needs to be even slower. Can't wait to tackle this again with more vibrant colors.
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This is part of my 30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge. It runs through May 15th and you can join in at any time.

If you want to play along, you can add your pics to my 30 Days of Spring flickr group, you can tweet it using the #30dos hashtag, or you can do a post and share it here at project alicia. (The linky is over at Day 1.) Do as little or as much as you feel up to. Grab the button and start snappin.

<center><a href="http://www.projectalicia.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo34/iowalish/springedit1copy175x175edit.jpg"/></a></center>

A day in the life...

So this may not be your typical spring day in Iowa. At least not yet, but let a girl dream. Today... it was mid 60s. Sunny. And GORGEOUS!

I hit the gym and had a sweaty workout. Yah me.


I snapped some more daffodils. I just can't seem to get enough.


I made egg salad sandwiches, 'cause what else do you do with all those left over Easter eggs? I didn't have any avocado, so I opted for diced dill pickles. Yum!


I showered and then let my naked face soak in some of those rays.


I picked some of our rhododendrons. Shh... Let's keep this our secret. Can't wait to throw some texture on this baby.


I let my tootsies feel the newly cut grass.


I read my Creating Keepsakes in the open air, catching up on Ali Edward tips.


I watched clouds until the kiddos got home from school.


And I avoided tv like the plague. Sorry to all the Kate and William fans.

It seems life has been so busy that I haven't had a minute for myself. I was in desperate need of a restful lish day. And it was a beautiful "day in the life"...

The next six are going to be a bit hairy with hubs away. I'm going to try to catch up, but if I don't make it by your way please don't take it personally.
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If you are still following my 30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge, this is day 16.

It runs through May 15th and you are welcome to join at any time. There are no rules or requirements. Do as little or as much as you want. Just grab your camera and document what spring looks like to you in your neck of the woods.

If you need some inspiration you can check out my Week One in Review or my Is it spring yet? post. Or better yet, go stop by the 30 Days of Spring flickr page. Oh my. The photos coming in are exquisite.

If you want to play along, you can add your pics to my 30 Days of Spring flickr group, you can tweet it using the #30dos hashtag, or you can do a post and share it here at project alicia. (The linky is over at Day 1.) Grab the button and start snappin.

<center><a href="http://www.projectalicia.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo34/iowalish/springedit1copy175x175edit.jpg"/></a></center>

Thank you to all who have shared their spring with me!

Portrait Photo Contest

Today I'm entering this photo into the Life is Too Short to Not Wear Red Shoe's portrait photo contest. It is my favorite from my photo shoot this week. It was inspired by Ashley Sisk's Selfie Fan Shoot.

You can see more of my shoot here. I was also inspired by Jill of Jill Sampter Photography. She has an I AM BEAUTIFUL project currently in progress. A reason to step outside of our comfort zones and in front of the camera. And make a proclamation to the world. Click on the link and join the movement.

The Little Things.

It doesn't take much to make me giddy. A simple bud. A perfect texture. Five minutes of sun.



Don't know about you, but for me it's all about the little things.

If you are still following my 30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge, this is day 15 if my count is correct.

It runs through May 15th and you are welcome to join at any time. There are no rules or requirements. And sorry, there are also no prizes at the end. It was started as a way to help get me through the "waiting" part of Spring, as Mother Nature seems to be on her own timetable this year and has forgotten to send the memo. We're in the 40s this week, but it is still a bit too cold for my taste.

You can do as little or as much as you want. Just grab your camera and document what spring looks like to you in your neck of the woods. Today I was ecstatic to find my rhododendron blooming. And the deer haven't even touched them yet.

If you need some inspiration you can check out my Week One in Review or my Is it spring yet? post. Or better yet, go stop by the 30 Days of Spring flickr page. Oh my. The photos coming in are exquisite.

If you want to play along, you can add your pics to my 30 Days of Spring flickr group, you can tweet it using the #30dos hashtag, or you can do a post and share it here at project alicia. (The linky is over at Day 1.) Grab the button and start snappin.

<center><a href="http://www.projectalicia.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo34/iowalish/springedit1copy175x175edit.jpg"/></a></center>

Thank you to all who have shared their spring with me!

I am beautiful.

I am 38 years old. I have been married half of my life. When will I be comfortable in my own skin?

And why must it take a tragic story to make me appreciate what I have been given?

Today as I sat in the hair salon reading the latest (to me) edition of People Magazine, I was surprised by the emotions that overtook me. A story of a mother who gave birth to a beautiful baby and then was suddenly stricken with abdominal pains. Three days later her husband took her to the hospital and she slipped into a coma. She had a rare infection. Her husband had the burden of deciding whether or not to permit the doctors to amputate her limbs to save her life. Today she is a quadruple amputee who is happy to be alive. Happy to be able to watch her children climb the milestones of life. Yet the struggles she must endure on a daily basis are monumental. My heart ached for this woman I didn't even know and it was all I could do to fight back tears.

I couldn't help but be grateful for the body that I have. The arms that reach out and embrace my children. My legs that move me at will wherever I want to go- without any effort. Yet I worry over moles and wrinkles. And imperfections.


(Fan Selfie Shoot inspired by Ashley of Ramblings and Photos.)

Just last week I was riding in the car with hubs complaining about one of my physical flaws and he asked me to stop verbally abusing myself. I of course immediately dismissed the notion as ridiculous. It wasn't until later when I was alone that I allowed myself to really explore the idea. Am I?


I am not sure what happened to me in my childhood that made me so incredibly insecure. I want to love myself. I want to accept myself as I am, but I need to reprogram myself. Not exactly an easy feat.

Jill of Jill Sampter Photography has an I AM BEAUTIFUL project currently in progress. A reason to step outside of our comfort zones and in front of the camera. And make a proclamation to the world.

She writes, "It is time we take back what the world has stolen from us – our worth and beauty just as we are!"

So today, I am embracing the person I am. Just as I am. And proclaiming my worth...



Thank you Jill for helping me find my courage. I challenge each of you to dig deep inside yourselves and find your worth. Embrace your beauty. And celebrate who you are. You are beautiful!

WW: Is it spring yet?

I had something entirely different I was thinking of doing today for WW, but I had to shift gears. There is something I need to get off my chest.

Today I have a bone to pick with the Mother Nature. Or Mother Goddess. Or Mother Earth. Whatever she is going by these days. More importantly, whatever will get her attention the fastest. Because my friends, I can not stand this weather another minute! There, I said it. I am sitting with my winter sweater wrapped about me. Goosebumps. My teeth clattering. I have already packed my winter coats away and my poor little polka dot tootsies are unable to be properly viewed as they so deserve. No, instead they are tucked inside my furry slippers. Sigh. Hasn't winter dragged on long enough?

I have been dreaming of spring as far back as February. Barbecues, walks in the park, scatterings of pinks and purples in fragrant aromas, even bugs. And thunderstorms. I will take any of it if it will just come. And stick.

I have done everything in my power short of screaming from the hilltops to have my wishes be heard. And I have given numerous subtle hints as well.

If you follow my blog on a regular basis you may remember a few of my futile attempts...

I did a bedroom make under. I stripped curtains and dark brown bedding/lamp shades to let in the light. Any light I could snatch up... I added white linens and a frilly spring pillow.

{The Make Under}

I racked my brain and ransacked my scrapbook supplies and created this lovely "fake" spring image. Then a light bulb came on and on a whim I decided to start a 30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge. (This photo would become the button.) A reason to look for the beauty even while I was in the "waiting" stage. And by the way, it is still going until May 15th. Grab your cameras and join me.

{30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge}

I had a polka dot party thinking Mother Nature might want to join me. Ha! WRONG. So, so wrong.

{Seeing Spots}

We made edible nests. 'Cause what says spring more than robin's nests?

{Robin's Nests}

I made my kids wear flip flops for our Easter photo shoot, 'cause I'm mean that way. And then despite all my efforts, we lost our props to the wind and froze our behinds off and had to accept defeat.

{Happy Easter}

I took a walk through the Arboretum looking for signs of spring. Any sign. Perhaps I was expecting a miracle. I did find beauty, but in the most unsuspecting of places. A naked grove of trees. But it didn't exactly scream spring. Sigh. Below is one of my rare spring finds. She's a keeper.

{The Arboretum}

And just today I bought this adorable cake pan at Target (50% off in their Easter section- go. hurry. run.) and made some yummy spring berry muffins. Aren't they just the most adorable things ever?


And yet nothing. It is still cold. Still dreary. And I am grumpy. Sorry I am human. The end.

P.S. If you missed the news I am now projectalicia.com. You should be redirected, but you may want to update your GFC.

If you have a photo just link it below. Wordless, Not So Wordless, or Wordful posts are all welcome. Make sure to stop by some of the other WWs.

Trees are poems earth writes upon the sky.

I snapped this photo on my morning walk through the arboretum. This grove of trees was a find. I've lived here 13 years and somehow managed to live oblivious to their presence. I'm sure they are beautiful in all seasons, but I particularly loved them in their nakedness. I pressed the shutter over and over trying to capture their true essence. Often we see something magnificent and are unable to duplicate it in a photograph. But this was not going to be one of those times. Wide aperture, narrow aperture, horizontal, vertical... I was determined to do them justice. And I decided to make the f-stop bigger so that my aperture was narrow, allowing for a deeper depth of field. I wanted to be able to see every single tree trunk.

I used my Canon 50D, Canon 50mm f/1.8, and Photoshop Elements 7 for this photo.


Trees are beautiful even barren of leaves. They are so majestic.

"Trees are poems earth writes upon the sky." -Kahlil Gibran

Text is by Ali Edwards. You can grab my 10 favorite fonts here.

Today I am participating in Texture Tuesdays with Kim Klassen. Her work is uber inspirational. We were asked to use the serendipity texture this week.

This is the formula for today's image:
Layer 1. Background
Layer 2. Florabella's BW Film action
Layer 3. Kim's serendipity texture with soft light at 50%
Layer 4. Bumped down saturation
Layer 5. Added text
Layer 6. Added watermark

I'm linking this post to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.

This is also part of my 30 Days of Spring Photo Challenge.

It runs thru May 15th, but you are welcome to join at any time and you can do as little or as much as you would like.

You can add your pics to my 30 Days of Spring flickr group.

You can tweet it using the #30dos hashtag.

Or you can do a post and share it here at project alicia. (The linky is over at Day 1.) Just grab this button.

<center><a href="http://www.projectalicia.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo34/iowalish/springedit1copy175x175edit.jpg" /></a></center>

The important part is to get out there and start snapping! What kind of images are you capturing this spring?