Photo Challenge: Theme Thursday - Sun Flare or Haze

Cari issued a challenge.  Specifically a photo challenge to hone our skills.  This weeks' challenge is to capture a sunflare.  So, I set to work yesterday with my super fancy Nikon. 

No clue what focus or ISO.  All I know is I was sitting half-way on the fireplace screaming while flipping my camera around in every angle.  *79 other photos were hurt in the process of taking this one.

I think the goal of this project is to learn how to achieve a good shot.  Unfortunately, my haphazard way of taking photos doesn't really lend itself to "learning" from mistakes since I can't remember what I did.  It is similar to how I used to play Nintendo.  Just push every button and move the controller around like a maniac until Mario jumps into the green warp.

  
But I did remember that I caught a few other awesome sunflares in my day.  Thanks to my point and click which did all the work for me.

Elena - July 2010

Elena - July 2010

Leo - July 2009

Leo - November 2008

Leo - November 2008

Check out Cari's blog for all the other entries from people who actually know what they are doing!!!!

Sheenazing Blogger Awards a la A Knotted Life!!

I can't believe it, but I'm in the running for awards!

A huge thank you to Bonnie at A Knotted Life for hosting the Sheenazing Catholic Blogger Awards and for contacting me to let me know I was even nominated!

The winners will earn a firm, virtual handshake, the pride in knowing that they've been named the Best of something by a fairly obscure blog, and the right to display the following on their site:
I'm so excited someone thought I was cool enough to mention.  So thank you lone All Things Gale soldier for the hat tip.  

Also, most of my favorite bloggers ever are nominated in the most appropriate categories, so I'm honored to be in such good company.  Go and vote.  Now.  And then you can tune into Dr. Phil to find out if you were just cyber-bullied.

DOOO  ITTTTT!!!

A little pick-me-up

I had a rough day.  I made a mistake and got called out on it by a very forthcoming girl.  I am non-confrontational and nearly had a heart attack when she let me know that what I did wasn't cool.  I didn't flaming poo her front porch or anything.  But definitely pulled an internet party-foul and apologized profusely.



I'm sensitive.  So I need to do a post about things I did right in life.

Like this:

We took the kids to a local farm for the afternoon.



They are freaked out by goats after watching me get rammed in the stomach by one the last time I went to pick up eggs....I'm a little scared of them too... 


How deliciously cute are these baby pigs???


And how deliciously large is their MOTHER?!?!  And she's loud.


Roman heard her snort and went running.



Elena had the chance to pick the egg right out of the laying box!  She was so excited she threw it into the basket :)  RIP little egg.


And even though this post was supposed to be about things I did right in life - I have to admit this one was just to funny and cruel not to include...


Okay - back to beauty



900 lbs of awesomeness


20 lbs of even more awesomness




Now that I've aired my dirty laundry, I feel a tiny bit better.  


Not about flaunting the Chick-Fil-A in front of all the chickens though...

7 Quick Takes (#43)

7 quick takes sm1 Your 7 Quick Takes Toolkit!


1) We survived Jason's trip away from us for 5 days.  Someone was praying for us, because the kids were angels for 5 straight days. I couldn't believe it.  If they weren't playing with their castle/dollhouse village, they were running around in costumes.



I don't even think it was a fluke!  It actually continued after he returned too.  Most of it is due to Leo being an awesome kid in general.  He is 4 and a half and acts like a big kid all the time.  Maybe all those moms who said that having more than 3 kids were onto something.  Turns out, as they get older, they DO get easier!!

2) While Jason was in England, he was talking with 2 Brits about how to cite in a bibliography.
Jason: You cite the author like this: Write Gale comma Jason period...
Brits: *Hysterical laughter*  It's called a Stop!!!  A period is what a woman has!!!

3) My kids have had runny noses and coughs for over a week now.  It started when they went to the gym daycare.  I REFUSE to let this stop me from going to the gym on the regular.  Except that it is stopping me....

I still manage to go 4-5 days a week.  But every time they sneeze I have to keep them out of the daycare.  But I haven't been sick once yet this winter!

(I'm not superstitious, but that was a stupid statement to make...)

4) I think we have officially decided to homeschool!! Shoot - I already make my own yogurt and grind my own wheat.  We have 3 small children and we call it a "good start."  I'm going to take the sewing machine to all our pants and hem them up a couple inches.  DONE!  


No but seriously - I am in need of a Kindergarten curriculum and a Preschool curriculum.  I have a couple resources that I have looked into, like pbs.org print-outs...well no, that's actually it. I have no idea what else I'm doing yet.

5) In Maryland, I belonged to the most amazing real food Co-op ever.  The women who organized it all were amazing and I miss it!!  I miss the access to all the food.  I miss grocery shopping twice a month in a friend's house.  I miss hanging out with all the families!

So I started my own in Tyler.  What the WHAT??  I have no idea what I'm doing yet, so I'm hoping for success.  But we do have a fake logo.  That I don't own the rights to.  I need to work on that.

6) I woke up freaking out the other night since we don't have folding tables to put the food out on.  What was I thinking??????

7) My complete lack of blogging is related to this:


Complete harmony


A stress-free house


Happily playing children


And a baby who almost figured out how to sleep through the night.  My method?  When Jason goes out of town, I accidentally sleep through the night without hearing my baby cry.  The next night, they always sleep through the night.  (After it happened with Roman, I remembered the same thing happened with Elena...)

Even despite the recent runny noses and coughs, we have been in production mode.  G is for Gale!  And Getting stuff done!!  (I'm going to be the best homeschooling teacher EVER!)

Thanks to the gracious Jen as always for hosting!

7 Quick Takes (#42)

7 quick takes sm1 Your 7 Quick Takes Toolkit!


1) I love dancing.  I haven't met a a dance floor I didn't love.  I can do the electric, salsa, the chicken, swing, the macarena, skank, the dougie, mosh, the cha cha slide, the truffle shuffle, but mostly just fake it 'til I make it.  I was even chosen out of many (at least 20 girls) to be in the (eerily prophetic) Deep in the Heart of Texas dance number during our high school variety show.  Naturally, zumba was a no-brainer for me, right?

Well to all of you, my "friends" (and I use that term loosely), who high-fived me on the dance floor, or gave me a winning grin and a thumbs-up to keep on moving - You got some 'SPLAINING to do!!  After years of affirmation, I discover now, at the age of 31, that I suffer from Terminal White Disease.

Zumba room: Brought to you courtesy of giganticmirrors.com...

2) Crossed off my bucket list: Making my own butter






3) I love real food.  And unrelated to the ridiculously delicious raw butter overdose this week, I'll be diving right back into Zumba tomorrow at 10.  My favorite part is freestyle.

Credit

I totally got this.  Pass me 'nother biscuit.  *I did it.  Twice now.  Twice the dancing.  Twice the embarrasment.  And twice the glory.  Zumba is awesome.

4) Roman's new favorite game.  And mine





5) A couple more things I can finally cross off my bucket list, AND, start doing on the regular:

Homemade Sourdough Bread!!!


Once I got my sourdough starter all bubbly and ready to go (in only 3 days!) the bread part was simple.

My kitchen smelled like fresh baked bread for 2 days while it was rising!!


I'm not sure if it was related, but after 2 slices of this sourdough at lunch, I had absolutely no hunger at dinnertime.  I have heard that it keeps you fuller longer, but wow.  This stuff is go-OOOD!

I used some of the leftover starter to make some sourdough pancakes for breakfast.

They were just a vessel for getting more butter in my mouth.   

And I also finally got around to making homemade yogurt for the first time!!  So easy but I was so intimidated for so long!


I really need to invest in some more jars.  Or figure out how to get the darn labels off...


6) The kids are even more excited about all the homemade food they get than I am!!!!




7) Jason left for England yesterday morning.  And since I can make a mess of the house guilt-free, I pulled out the sewing machine to finish the kids Christmas morning jammie pants.  Are we still at least within the Christmas season????


One down:

They are so painfully homemade

But I think the print makes them fun enough that I don't care how poorly they fit her!!


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