peach blossoms

several years ago someone, maybe me, put a peach pit in one of my porch planters and a peach tree started growing. this is the second year it has shown blooms, and it grew little peaches last year, but nothing big enough to eat.

it's little blooms are pretty, and this one is hanging on for dear life as it braved the frost and snow that surprised us monday.

if you look carefully, you can see the little frost crystals in the middle and on the little bulb on the right.



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no doubting this love

wild wing cafe, february 2011

being a blended family, it is so hard being away from ryan and jacob as much as we are. without, making anyone out to be a bad guy (so please no hate mail about her), ryan and jacob's mom chooses not to let me keep them when jason is out of town. that has been the case quite a bit lately as jason has been working in georgia, and i have missed my big boys like crazy.  

i could go on and point fingers, and be mad, and be a lot of other things, but i just choose to accept it (it hurts, and sometimes i cry, but i deal) and continue to love them with all that i am and every breath that i take.

when they are here, we make the most of every moment. believe me, no moment is ever dull and i wouldn't have it any other way.

it's just not the same without them and we always dread sunday afternoons when we have to drive the 3 hours to take them home. the girls and E always miss them when they are gone, and jason and i certainly do too.

so each time they are here, we smile a little brighter, laugh a little harder, and breath a little easier because our family is complete.

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can we get a vote today? thanks so much!

dear diary,

{written late last night as i enjoyed the last few minutes of my day.}

i am always woken up at 5 in the morning to the laughter of two little girls who sleep so softly and so rarely at night. that is the morning "normal" each and every day.  and yes, it is always a little annoying because sometimes, just sometimes, i would rather fight waking up from a really amazing dream, as colbie caillat sings me awake from my cell phone sitting on the wooden table beside my bed instead. once again, that didn't happen today.

however, i still laid there waiting for that familiar tune and when it finally came i hit the button on my phone to silence it's playful melody and checked my emails just to stop that little red reminder light from blinking. i continued to lay there and after 30 minutes i had convinced myself that today was going to be a good day full of productivity. so then, i slid out from under my warm white sheets and planted my feet on the floor. still in a state of  "i don't want to get out of this bed", i made my way to the bathroom.

it was time to start this day!

little red chicken nuggets box for the paper mama photo challenge

sometimes when i think it is going to be just another normal day, life sneaks in a few special little moments that are really nothing more than little reminders to enjoy the small things.

the small things, like when you find out that in just two more days the new harris teeter grocery store that is so much closer to your house will be open. or that the amazingly wonderful and friendly japanese sushi chef that is a perfectionist at his work and makes the best darn sushi around is training the sushi chef for that new store. or that the fashionably dressed gentleman and his wife standing next to us and our clan of children not once looked at jason and i as if we must be poor white trash simply because we have this many kids in tow and they are running around and swinging from the shelves like starved monkeys. and then so kindly sparked up a friendly conversation with jason and i as we waited.


i like the small things.

it could possibly be that i was high on life because i am finally over the worst sickness i have had in 80 years and full of energy, or it could have easily been the amazing weather and bright sunshine, but today was definitely a good day.

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banana-rama

SOOC

edit 1

to edit this photo:

• cropped it
• sharpened
• used the color creative yesteryear preset in lightroom 3
• adjusted the levels
• adjusted the curves
• adjusted brightness and contrast

edit 2

tried the anthropomorphism: giving life to fruit tutorial over at paper heart camera.  not quite as good as i had hoped for, but i am pleased considering i have never done anything like this.

edit 3

yellow tint added.

tuesday photo challenges | my bundled up snow baby

SOOC

edit

i adjusted the levels to brighten then softened it a bit.  in a new layer, i added a touch of rosy cheeks and brightened the eyes some.  lastly, i added a soft white matte frame and adjusted the opacity.

tuesday photo challenges | 4 days until christmas

our LOVE for our Lord Jesus Christ is pure and true. He definitely is THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. i thank Him for this life i have and for jason, my children, my family, and friends.  without Him my life has no meaning, without Him i am lost.




every morning i enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee. plain. no sugar. no milk or creamer.

and maybe, just maybe, a candy cane if it is christmas time.

SOOC

after

i adjusted the white balance and then ran the paper mama's brighten me action. lastly, i added the bokeh texture background to hide some of the noise and added a slight gaussian blur.

be sure to jump around and check out all the other entries into this week's photo challenges.

**REMINDER**  

TWO GIVEAWAYS RIGHT NOW!

16 photo new year's cards from pear tree greetings. ends january 1, 2011

carmex moisture plus ultra hydrating tinted lip balms. ends january 5, 2011

updated to add 1/17/11: