Ring Around the Sun

The other day my daughter called me from the dining room saying there was an upside down rainbow in the sky. This of course was something I just had to see. When I got to the window and looked out sure enough it looked like an upside down rainbow from our angle, but I quickly realized it was actually a ring around the sun. I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity so I promptly grabbed my camera and ran outside. Then I had to figure out how to take a picture of the sun without blowing out the image or burning my retinas.

I think it came out pretty cool. I love sun flares and am trying to get better at capturing them correctly. I've never tried taking a picture of the actual sun before so this was a challenge for me. I think I got it figured out though.

In other very cool news... Darcy, who blogs at Life With My 3 Boybarians announced the winners of last week's Sweet Shot Tuesday link up for Artistic Photo Canvas. I was one of the winners! I am in shock really. I never win giveaways. Thank you so much Darcy for hosting such a fun link up every week and having so many fun giveaways. And thank you APC for doing a giveaway on Darcy's blog. Now to figure out just what photo I want on a 16x20 gallery wrap.

If you haven't checked out Sweet Shot Tuesday, you should. It is a fun link up where anyone who takes pictures can link up their Sweet Shot for the week. You don't need a fancy camera or any real skill; you just need to take pictures with what you have. The best camera is the one you have at the moment you want to capture something, whether it is a DSLR, a point and shoot, a cell phone or even a lomography camera.

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Sweet Sunflower Shot

It's Sweet Shot Tuesday, I love having a reason to show off my favorite photos from the week.
So this morning I decided to steal a couple of minutes to go outside and play around with my camera. What inspired me were some squirrels playing in the yard but they heard me coming from around the side. (I tried to sneak up on them by going around the house, but it didn't work.)
So all I got was a stare off with a squirrel that looked at me with an evil eye. Mr. Squirrel won, I got distracted by a bird. I took a picture of him too, but I'll spare you. Mr Squirrel was not happy with me invading his turf.











After a little bit I decided to go inside but I noticed that one of the sunflowers had fully opened and I could not pass up that opportunity. So I took several shots playing with the angles and the sunlight. Here is my favorite one out of the bunch.

A Serendipitous Shot

Being in a new home means having new things to shoot outside. We have these bushes that I forgot the name of. They have had these pretty little blossoms on them that are attracting bees. I love to shoot bees. If you read my post from a few months ago, you might remember that I got a bit obsessed with them. (insert sheepish grin here) This shot isn't one with a bee in it but it was a serendipitous shot with a moth. It was holding so still that at first I thought it was a leaf in a shadow.

To see more amazing sweet shots check out Sweet Shot Tuesday with Darcy at Life with My 3 Boybarians.

Princess K a Sweet Shot

It's Sweet Shot Tuesday again. Soooo many pictures so little time. I had a hard time choosing this week which shot to use but, I finally decided on this one of Princess K. She was outside playing with a Frisbee and I captured this moment of her.

For more great Sweet Shot's head over to Life With My 3 Boybarians.

Sweet Shot Day

I decided to participate in Sweet Shot Day over at Life With My 3 Boybarians. I am so excited about participating. One, because it will give a an excuse to blog at least once a week and two, because it gives me another excuse to take lots of pictures.

On Sunday we went to the park with some friends and I captured Little G looking up at Princess K.

Thankful Thursday

This year has been a very hard year. I have been learning how to lean into God more than ever and how to be thankful in everything. Here is my Thursday Thanksgiving Thirteen.

1. I am thankful for my Savior who loves me unconditionally.
2. I am thankful for my dear sweet amazing husband, Daddy Reg.
3. I am thankful for my 4 little arrows that God has blessed us with.
4. I am thankful for the home that God has given us to live in.
5. I am thankful for the mini van that gets my family to and from where we need to go.
6. I am thankful for the food God has given us to eat.
7. I am thankful that I know how to cook and bake so we can make everything stretch.
8. I am thankful for the job that Daddy Reg has, even though it is part time, I am still thankful for the job.
9. I am thankful that somehow the bills get paid every month.
10. I am thankful for being able to homeschool my kiddos and be the one who molds and shapes their character.
11. I am thankful for my friends and church family.
12. I am thankful for Little G's fever breaking and her seeming to be better today after a long night.
13. I am thankful for all the modern conveniences and that I don't have to work as hard as the pilgrims and colonists to keep my home.

What are you thankful for?

1Chronicles 16:34
Oh give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

kreative blogging

Morgan tagged me for the Kreative Blogger Award Meme. Which is a good thing as I have been slacking on my blogging lately and my blog reading for that matter. Don’t hate me bloggy friends, I am just a tad bit stretched thin and will be back to commenting soon. (I hope)

1. what i did before: I made midnight runs to WalMart with my roommate to get items to redecorate our apartment-and say hi to Daddy Reg (though then he was “the man I am going to marry” Reg) I nannied two amazing little boys who are now adults. (Wow, I am old!) Those two amazing boys walked me down the aisle. ahhh memories. I digress, so I also coordinated childcare for a rather large women’s ministry in town and was a preschool teacher. Went to college but never finished. Got my EMT certification and worked at an elderly residential. Okay none of that was in order. Where is my brain today. Oh well, I guess you get the point.

2. what i do now: I keep my home and make it a safe haven for my family. I help and support my husband in everyway possible. I am raising up young people who love the Lord and are learning what it means to be reckless abandoned to Christ. I am raising up young women who will be amazing wives and a young man who will be a perfect gentlemen to his future wife. Oh, and I also home teach these young minds everyday. I cook, clean, sew, blog (of course) and pour into moms and young women whenever I get a chance.

3. what i'd like to do: get a full night of uninterrupted sleep, learn how to quilt, knit, and anything else I haven’t learned. grow in my walk with my Savior and become more reckless abandoned to Christ. See the lost and hurting come to know the amazing love of their Creator.

4. what attracts me to my husband: my husband is my best friend. I am attracted by his commitment to his family both his parents and siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles… and to me his wife and his kids. when we met he was ripped - he was working for a roofing company - yeah, I was attracted to that.

5. favorite foods: coffee, chocolate, my father-in-laws spaghetti, polenta, homemade bread, biscuits (with gravy, jam, honey, butter…) cookies, donuts, tea, and bubble tea, homemade tortillas, pumpkin pie just to name a few… I love food.

6. what i say most often: “Where’s the baby?” “I need you to focus.” “I need coffee.” “I love you.”

So... for tagging, I am going to not tag because it is way too late and I should have been in bed hours ago. If you want to do this meme, consider yourself tagged. And comment me so I can be sure to read yours.

A Blog Award of Proximity

Rhonda at Living Water Christian Academy graced me with this very sweet award. I am so humbled for her to think of me. I just recently discovered her blog and love reading about her adventures in homeschooling and life. She lives in one of the most beautiful places God has created and shares that beauty through pictures. I have been so encouraged by Rhonda in the short time I have “known” her. Rhonda, thank you so much for thinking of me. °Ü°

Here are the details of the award:
“This blog invests and believes, in ‘proximity’ [meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' - being close through proxy]. They are all charming blogs, and the majority of them aim to show the marvels of friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate? Then let’s try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to eight bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.”

I now have the privilege of passing along this award to 8 others so here it goes.

Nancy ~ I love reading about your family and your Simple Woman’s Day book. I feel like we are just having a conversation when I read your blog. It has been fun getting to know you.

Mama Archer ~ Even though you are now over 2,000 miles away I still feel close to you. As if, you live just down the street. I so enjoy reading your blog and being encouraged and challenged at the same time. Your Monday ponderings are so much fun even when I do not get the chance to actually write about them. I still ponder all day long.

Morgan ~ You make me feel like I get to see you every day instead of once a year when I read your blog. You are such a sweet mommy to your munchkins and your heart for the Lord is obvious in all you say and do.

Momma Bug ~ I love that it is as you still live in close proximity with how often you post. It is as though you never moved. (I still have to catch up to you in posts though. *grin*)

Emily ~ I have had the great privilege to get to “know” you and watch your little guy grow up. Your heart for the Lord is awesome and I love reading what you are learning. And you have encouraged me so often.

Sheri ~ I have no doubt that God placed you where you are so you could blog and we could become bloggy friends. You are an awesome mommy!

Kysha ~ I know that Rhonda already gave you this award but I am giving it to you too. You are a great bloggy friend. I love reading about your days and your kiddos. I love how you keep things real and how you put your family time first. You are a blessing to me. (Oh and I don’t think you have to pass this on to 8 more people, unless you can think of 16 blogs. lol)

Diane ~ You believe that blogging brings people closer together. I know you do with how many people you have become closer with and have gotten to know.°Ü°