P52 2012 - Mallory Cowl

Today’s project 52 photo is of me, not by me. I figure I need to get in there every so often, though.

My husband fancies himself a bit of a photographer. I’m here to go on the record… that I agree and disagree. He can find focus on my manual focus lens pretty darn well, considering he rarely uses it. But a portrait photographer he is not. A less flattering set of photos I have never seen. Here we have the best and second best of the set.

Best – angle is still a bit unflattering for my head shape, but at least I’m smiling (at my girls who watched through the doorway.) When I saw these photos I went and checked for Double Chin, because I am known to get one if I’ve been slacking off and I have definitely been dipping into the poutine a bit lately. But my fears were fairly unfounded, things are not perfect and it’s time to start using the second trimester workout video that came in the mail today, but it’s not half as bad as the angle on these photos led me to believe. This is, however, one of the best of the lot.

Second best. Yes, this really was the second best out of about 20 photos. I was talking. I was asking if it looked better when I was smiling or not smiling, and if I should be looking at the camera or not. He was wearing a tshirt because he hadn’t bothered to put his jacket on and just wanted to get back inside.

How unprofessional. It’s like he doesn’t even take me seriously when I say, “Come take a picture of me in this cowl I knitted.”

I’ve already gushed on and on about the Mallory pattern. I used a knitca.com wool yarn and Shannon from luvinthemommyhood.com’s pattern. It’s perfect for Winnipeg where that little v neck on your peacoat is ever so stylish but terribly impractical. It’s doubled up, and if it’s –40 and the wind is howling I can do the one wrap around my neck and the other around my face. The wool isn’t like wearing silk, but it’s not too itchy either. I can wear it comfortably and will even likely knit up a matching hat.

P52 2012 - miles of smiles

Olivia greets me cheerfully while people-watching in the front window

This picture could definitely be sharper in focus, I’ve been coming to realize that my auto focus doesn’t actually necessarily do a better job than when I manually focus with my favourite lens. Kind of a bummer, actually, but at the same time a good thing; on both parts, because that means I don’t actually need a new lens, it won’t likely actually help me out that much. I could maybe use a new camera body so I can bump my ISOs without killing with noise, but boohoo cry me a river because that is not on the menu. Mama needs new shoes. Or rather, new places for shoes. More square footage. By reno or moving van, this just under 1000 square foot home is at maximum capacity with 3 adults, two children, a dog, a business, and a ridiculous amount of hobbies betwixt them all. Sometime in the next year, something needs tweaking. Time will tell!

Speaking of what time will tell, I heard Baby V3’s heartbeat yesterday! Always such an awesome thing. I hope I’m not alone in sort of suspecting that I’m not actually pregnant despite all signs to the contrary until that little galloping sound. Baby V3 had a heartbeat over 160, so we are placing our wager in the Team Pink category just for fun, old wives tales, and the fact that this is the third fast heartbeat in a row. But once again… time will tell!

P52 2012 - Hard At Work

This week I had a project in mind for Nicole and I. She’s always asking me to sew for her lately, ever since I made her the Christmas dress. I’m quite pleased, don’t get me wrong, but it occurred to me to sew something WITH her. When I told her she was going to sew a skirt, she asked for the book Sewing Clothes Kids Love (amazon.com referral link) with excitement. I handed over the book, but gently told her that while she could definitely look for inspiration, for her first sewing project we were going to go for something a little simpler. And I’ll share more about that on Monday’s crafty post!

Look at me all following a pattern. Crafty on Monday, free days Tuesday and Wednesday, P52 on Thursday, and Friday Favourites on Saturday. Kidding. Anyways, we’ll see how long it lasts, but I’m happy with the structure so far… a little planning and structure around here has been a long time coming!

If you’re a blogger, do you follow a schedule, or go with the flow? And either way, do you think I’m crazy for wanting to ease into sewing with my 4 year old? She’s not into Zhu Zhu Pets or Barbies – although she loves LaLaLoopsy mini figures – but crafting is where her heart lies. Do you craft with your kids? Or do you leave crafts for school?

Project 52 -2012

For today’s Project 52, I wanted to try something and I wanted to capture something specific. What I wanted to capture was this Amaryllis that Nicole and I planted late November. It took forever to bloom, but suddenly it’s just gorgeous and enthusiastic. Too enthusiastic, maybe… the plant is falling over with it’s own weight! What I wanted to try was taking a picture right against a window, which completely destroys my reliance on metering. This isn’t the most amazing picture of a flower ever, I really need to work on my still life photography. I’m determined to buy a new lens this month, too. I can’t use my manual focus 50mm very well in low light situations AT ALL, so I’m using my kit lens and it’s just not the same. I haven’t upgraded my equipment in a year and a half (which is when I bought my DSLR) aside from buying a cheap adaptor to use a hand-me-down lens with my camera, so I think it’s about time!

I’m not really one for resolutions in per se. I mean, self improvement is always a good idea, but I tend to come up with ‘resolutions’ year round. However, January being the beginning of the year, it does lend itself to new beginnings. One thing I am restarting on trying is Project 52. I kind of let it go by the wayside last year, but this year I’m taking a different approach. I’m trying to have a schedule for it,and put thought ahead of time into what I want to take a picture of instead of just picking a photo from the last week.

I’m also hoping to have more of a schedule to the blog. I’m hoping to bring back Friday Favorites, do Project 52 on Thursdays,  and then I’m thinking one day will be a craft/project, perhaps a recipe another day. We’ll see what happens, I was hoping to start getting up earlier to do that but this morning when I tried I felt sick!

Here’s a bit of a pullback from that shot. Probably technically a better shot (this one is unedited) now that I think about it, but shows a bit of clutter. My awesome handyMan installed a shelf under my kitchen window where a tiny ledge had been previously. Then he took a leaf out of my book and filled it with Found Objects from around the house. I’m giving it a bit of time before I rearrange it ;) And yes, that’s a giant coffee cup planter.

Project 52–week 10

Yay, I’m so all over this. This is this week’s picture. And I am posting it on Saturday. I am giving myself a round of applause, feel free to join me. Also feel free to not ask how many baskets of laundry are sitting unfolded downstairs. The day is not done! Although considering it’s 9ish and I’ve been awake since 5, it’s maybe shameful that all I accomplished was feeding the kidlets, catching up on my blog feed, and adding three talented quilters to my blog feed. I have great intentions of doing some sort of stripwork quilt with the fabric in the background of this picture.

I actually deliberately set up a shoot for this week. I tend to have a picture of Nicole or a picture of Olivia, and while that is great because at this point in my life my days tend to revolve around them, PLUS it will be neat watching them grow when I flip through my Project 52 book later in life, I did want a picture of Nicole AND Olivia. So while there were individual shots of both girls that turned out MUCH better… I chose this one.

Let me know, by the way, if my photos are getting too bright. With my fixed lens I’ve noticed I’m veering away from doing much in the way of editing, and that I’m leaning towards LIGHT&BRIGHT. Well I mean, I’ve always leaned towards BRIGHT. But let me know if the LIGHT is getting out of control. I do notice my pictures are more clean and pure lately rather than artsy editing, as a general statement, as my skill with my camera develops. (Not just with my new lens, but before that as well.) Perhaps because I learned retouching first (in college) and photography second, that is part of my natural progression? Perhaps people who learn their cameras first and post-processing later might go in the opposite direction?
One thing is for sure, I would still describe my personal style/taste in photography as vibrant. (a while back I was doing a challenge that asked you to think about and try describe your ‘style’ in one word, and that was mine.) I do so love the soft and hazy look that some photographers have, and every once in a while I play with vintage flavours and such, but I always find myself pulled back to VIBRANT.
(which is not to say that if somebody wanted pictures done with a softer look that I would tell them no. But if I ever get to a day where I am doing it professionally and getting ‘busy’ enough that it wouldn’t hurt to pass on business, I would probably send them to a friend of mine who does lovely dreamy shots!)

Project 52–week 9

I realize I am still a few days behind, but this is last week’s photo and this week is not over yet SO…. we are improving.

Nicole really enjoys baking with me! I’d get her to just do it for me but she can’t read the recipes or reach the buttons on the oven yet. Maybe I’ll teach her to mix drinks instead.

Just kidding. Seriously. There isn’t even any alcohol in the house. There was a beer yesterday but after spending five minutes figuring out how to open the dang bottle (I am not a beer drinker. You may chuckle at my expense. I know I did.) I poured it into my slow cooker to make a yummilicious roast. Beer + apples + BBQ sauce + seasonings = SUPER ROAST.

(note: I have no problem with alcohol. I make a mean amaretto black forest cake.)

Project 52 5-8 … playing catchup

I haven’t really been keeping up with the themes each week, but I have been taking pictures, obviously. I just went through and picked my favourite from each week. I think it’s neat to see, I feel like I’ve been decidedly improving, now that I’m back to deliberately trying to work on my photography and take quality pictures in manual mode, as opposed to trying to take quick snapshots to try and capture those first few weeks of Olivia’s life.

Week 5 - Dirty, happy feet! This picture is from when I made cornstarch slime for Nicole and let her play in the bathtub. She really loved it. The lighting is very poor in my bathroom so this picture isn’t the best technical shot, but Project 52 is about life, not just photography. This was definitely the highlight of our week, at least as far as what I captured in photos was concerned.

Week 6 - Sisterly love. One of the most exciting things for me when I realized I was pregnant with our second child was that I would get to watch Nicole grow and develop as a big sister. When I realized I was having two girls in a row I was even more excited. Things aren’t always idealistic – Nicole has been known to hide Olivia’s toys in the back of closets and yesterday she poked her in the face with a skeet flinger – there is very definite mutual love and adoration between them. (I realize I posted this picture recently, and there’s been a few photo-repeats on the blog this past week… I apologize. Too many ‘project’ things, too few non-blurry photos of these munchkins!)

Week 7 – Nicole. There isn’t really a better way to describe this picture than just that… “Nicole." This photo sums her (good side) up to a ‘T’.

 Week 8 – Olivia. And again. Funny that it worked out that way, but there you go. Olivia is a happy little bitty. I mean, Nicole is full of joy as well, obviously, but she’s more … a bit of a case study in extremes. Katy from No Big Dill sums it up nicely when she describes her daughter as her hotandcold child. 
A poem that reminds me of Nicole is this one:

“There was a little girl / who had a little curl / right in the middle of her forehead. / When she was good / She was very, very good. / But when she was bad / She was horrid.”

Olivia, on the other hand, is generally cheerful, but not often to the extreme for no reason. Since she was a baby, Nicole has always been either :D or D:< most of the time.  Olivia, on the other hand, has had her share of both, but is generally settled on :) unless she is very tired, very hungry, very teething, or being played with.

I love both my little personalities to bits and wouldn’t change a thing about either one of them.

(Sure, Nicole has been known to snap and just LOSE IT at me or any other authority figure with very little provocation. But she’s also the type to suddenly curl in close and mumble “I love you.” out of the blue. The type to make sure somebody, anybody pays attention when another child gets hurt. The type to grab any nearby child and start playing. The bad with the good! Cos hey… when she is good, she is very, very good.)

psssst… check this out. I’m hoping to participate. Even though I don’t have any boys.

4/52–Blessings

This week was an obvious one.

3/52 Abandoned

I realized I forgot to add my Project 52 picture at the end of last week, so here we go… the theme was Abandoned, which happens to be exactly how poor little Olivia felt in this photo. Was not impressed when I realized she woke up from her afternoon nap early enough to get some half-decent light for some pictures and ran off!

2/52 - Project 52

Instead of Project 365 I opted for a Project 52, it seemed more manageable since this is definitely going to be a hectic year. Plus on day three I had one photo of a laundry basket snapped at 11pm, and two missed days. Yaaay. Project 52 it is!

I missed week one. Well, I had a photo that fit the theme but I didn’t edit or upload it and I am gonna chalk myself up as missing it for now. I think I’d like to go back and edit it just for my folder so I can make an album at the end of the year. But I shan’t bother to share it. I’m sharing this one a little late. phbbt. Week 2 was Togetherness. I have a million pictures of Nicole and Olivia together cuddling cos awww, so cute. But I actually really love the pictures like this. Nicole hovering almost out of view, keeping a constant eye on what’s going on with ‘My Baby Sister.’ She even gets offended if I choose the diapers.

Speaking of diapers. I am behind on my cloth diaper laundry right now because I tried a new soap on her diapers and it made them about as absorbent as linoleum. Awesome. So of course in the last 24 hours Olivia has pooped more than she has all month, all in disposable diapers. Every. Single. One. Blew. Out. The word of the day is POOPSPLOSION. And of course it’s not summer so I can’t lay all those stained onesies on the grass to bleach them with sun and magic and sun. Insert strangled noise here. Also insert me not sleeping much these last two days. I should not have said a word about my nicely sleeping baby. She changed her mind. I am feeling AWESOME. Wait no. What’s the opposite of feeling awesome again? I can’t remember, those words aren’t my default and I need more coffee to think properly. I’ll get back to you on that one.

(No I won’t. I will be elbows-deep in poopy onesies.)