WW: Twinkling Lights & Bokeh Tips

Often times we paint a beautiful picture... when the reality behind the blog is anything but.

I prefer to focus on the beauty, but when life becomes busy and chaotic this becomes a bit of a challenge. So, if you haven't heard from me lately this may be why. I'd rather not blog than whine...

I'm healthy. I'm blessed with a roof over my head. I have beautiful children. Hubs was even home for Christmas this year.

But I've had to say no to many of our annual holiday traditions. I'm still working to get us situated in our temporary home, knowing full well I could be doing this same thing in a year. We have had multiple techs out to fix the appliances in the kitchen. And Little Man has not taken well to the pet dander in this rental and we have been working like crazy to make our home safe for him. Life is not without obstacles. And there are times I feel overwhelmed. Blogging has taken a backseat to the pressing issues in my life.

Forgive me. I'm human.
---------------------------------------------------------------------Now on to the regularly scheduled post...

Hope you aren't sick of Christmas pics yet.

I'm happy to report in spite of the chaos, I got a tree up. There is nothing better at Christmastime than sitting and watching those twinkling lights.


It makes everything else melt away, if just for those few moments...



It also makes for the best bokeh. I haven't had much practice with this technique, but I had fun playing with my camera settings. I found my 50mm to work well.

Five Bokeh Tips
1. Use a lens that allows for the highest possible aperture. I put the f-stop at f/1.8 (on aperture priority mode). This allows for a shallow depth of field, making the background blurry.


2. The lower the aperture (higher the f-stop) the less round the bokeh will be. It's ok, just a little different. It could be fun to get more extreme with your settings...


3. Choose a focal point in the foreground. The closer the better. The further away from the tree the subject is, the larger the bokeh will be.


4. If your lighting is poor, use a tripod and/or lamp for additional light on your subject.






5. Get creative while you break all the conventional photo rules to get a beautiful out-of-focus photo. The possibilities are endless.


If you have a DSLR and haven't given it a whirl, you should.

Thanks to Jenny Rain for the inspiration. I still have much to learn before I master this, but what fun.

Psst... guess what I got from Santa?


If you guessed a fisheye lens, you would be right. I snapped it on and this was the first shot captured as Little Man was bringing me a present from under the tree. Not exciting, but I'm really looking forward to getting it outside and really playing with it.

I didn't take many photos, but I'm happy for the few memories captured of our first Christmas in South Carolina.

I hope that ya'll had a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Happy WW! Let's get this party started. Grab a photo and come join me! Just link your post below.
And feel free to stop by some of my favs...

WW: Signs of Christmas from Down South

It may still be warm here, but I'm noticing signs of Christmas at every turn.

Evergreens




Berries




Holly Leaves

Mistletoe

They may not all be super obvious as they blend in with the natural scenery, but they are a sight to behold. Yes, even without the white stuff it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (Even got my tree up. Yah me!)

If you are confused about my crazy life, you should know the lakehouse was only a very temporary thing and you can read more about that here. We are starting to get situated in our new home but it is certainly a process.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! Grab a photo and come join me! Just link your post below.

And feel free to stop by some of my favs...

WW: Moving Confessions

I'd like to be taking leisurely strolls through my new stomping ground. Soaking up the unseasonably warm temps and beautiful picturesque photo ops.

Instead I'm scrubbing floors, windows, and toilets in an attempt to remove the odor and filth left behind by the previous evicted tenants. I won't even tell you what was found in the master bathroom.

Sigh...

I'm bruised, achy in places I didn't know could ache, and exhausted beyond words. If you've moved you know exactly what I mean.

Unfortunately I am unable to exist in chaos. Turns out this is a giant flaw that not all human beings possess.

Here they are in all their glory... rare crappy snapshots of me attempting to put my life back together.


This is our new neighborhood for the next year. Our home is the one with the basketball hoop.


The kitchen was the first to get put back together.


My bedroom is still a disaster and I have yet to find the bedding or towels.

I'm desperately overdue for a shower. And my to-do list is growing by the second thanks to new-to-me information about roaches and cardboard. Another never-ending day ahead...

Maybe I'll even get my computer in my new home so I can blog from the comfort of my couch. There's a concept.

Thanks for stopping by. Please link your photo(s) below. Wordless, Not So Wordless, and Wordful post are all welcome here at project alicia. Unfortunately in light of everything I will not be making visits this week.

WW: Dreaming of the White Stuff

Call me what you will. Turns out I'm nuts. I've waited a lifetime for warm country. I moved right before the temps dropped. I couldn't have timed it more perfectly if I had tried. This weekend was sunny and high 60s... in December! I loved every minute of it...


Yet I find myself missing the white stuff. Can it be just weeks before Christmas without snow? It feels... off. Christmas shopping without my thermals and galoshes? Perhaps it will grow on me...

I've been digging up old December pics for a project I've been working on (more details below) and I couldn't find even one that didn't have white or a memory of white.


(All pics taken Dec 2010 in Iowa.)



White pics have been popping up everywhere and I've been feeling a little left out.


So I'm in reminiscing mode. Forgive me. Snow may be synonymous with bitter cold weather (and I may have even whined about it from time to time), but the white stuff certainly is a beautiful site to behold- particularly from afar.

I also know that my appreciation and love for it has only come from my many years of enduring the unpleasantness that accompanies it. So, think of that next time you find yourself shivering or shoveling heaps of snow.

Regardless of where you live or whether or not you get snow, I'd love you to join me in Celebrating the Days of December. This is not a daily challenge. This is a do-it-at-your-own-pace project. (The photos below are from my last December in IA.)

Take some pics throughout the month. Then download my FREE Days of December template set. You can find more information here.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED
(about my crazy life):
I am moving next week to a long term rental. The furnished home that we are staying in rents for $3500/month off season and was only intended as a temporary residence until we finished building our home the end of December, as they do not rent long term. Plus, it currently takes me over 2 hours to drive my kids to and from school. Talk about pain in the you know what! We chose to buy rather than rent because of the limited rental market in the school district we desired. Due to unforseen decisions made outside of our control, we are unable to get financing at this time and are being forced to rent. (There is no open enrollment here so we had to sign a lease so that we could get the kids into school, pushing the move date up sooner.) It's a sad day when you have no mortgage, good credit, a good job, and money in the bank and STILL can't get a home loan. If I had known all of this three months ago we would have probably opted for a long term rental initially, but then I wouldn't have had this beautiful respite at the lakehouse. Perhaps everything worked out as it should have. It's just often difficult to see life that way when we allow ourselves to get excited about something only to have it pulled out from under us and then are handed something that is merely runner up at best. And still temporary. But I am excited to get my belongings out of storage and get back to some assimilation of a structured life with neighbors and routine and possibly a Christmas tree. Wish me luck on this next chapter...

Thanks so much for stopping by! I know it is a busy time of year and I appreciate your visit! Wordless, Not So Wordless, or Wordful posts are all welcome here. Just link your posts below. There are tons and tons of wonderful WWs out there and it's a great way to make new bloggy friends. Below are some of the WW regulars I visit weekly.