reading

tomorrow we are kicking off Read across america week.

be back tomorrow with some fun ideas you can do with your kids 

and a delicious churro waffle recipe.

flea market fun

last week number two joined me to the long beach flea market. I had never been before.

we had gone to the pasadena flea market but i always leave that place empty handed.

things just seem to be overly priced {or i'm getting cheap}.

we found this great old tool box, i love the red rusty color.

there were lots of fun things to look at, he was really interested in the toys

these horses were just dreamy.

i was really liking the old rusty bikes, isn't this basket cute?

i bought this iron boxer for hubby, i just loved it, i never find boxers anything.

you notice the resemblance?

riley was pretty curious too, he took a nibble to it.

number two's pick, it will look great with a christmas tree tied to the back.

and i bought this sweet camera for my collection, loved it!

number two and mom, we had lots of fun together :)
we plan on going back soon to find more goodies.

new sweater

i never considered myself that kind of dog owner, but i do love sweaters.

so when i saw this one at my favorite home goods store, i bought it.

it is a grey cable knit sweater.

doesn't he look handsome?

this is his first and my first, he actually liked it.
my hubby thought i was crazy but the boys and i loved it.

Riley has turned out to be a great doggy. for a pup he is super mellow.
today i caught him napping wrapped up in a blanket on number two's bed.
i tell ya, this doggy is spoiled.

my sweet boy

 i was playing again with photoshop and my camera tonight.

and just because, i wanted to share this picture of my sweet boy.

i love the vintage feel of this image.

he reminds me so much of his daddy.

it is my hope when taking pictures of my children that i can capture every essence of them so that as they grow, and they grow way too fast, that i will not forget what they were like at that age.

 that when they grow, i'll have these images to take me back in time 

and savor those memories of my sweet boys.

photography isn't just about images.

it is about evoking emotions every time you look at those images.

photography is about transporting you back to that moment

capturing precious memories.

number 2 shoot

i read somewhere that in order for your photography to get better you must practice.

practice by taking lots of pictures, like thousands of hours of shooting.

that is something that i need to do so i decided to have a mini shoot with number two.

i have to coax and bribe my children to let me take pictures of them.
number one said no.

number two agreed so there i went dragging my chair to the backyard.
this is what i got

only one overexposed picture with a half smile.

then it went downhill when he did not want the sun in his eyes
and this is what i got.

a blurry shot of a boy who wanted no more pictures taken.

 max was curious as to all the fuss going on.

this was probably the best shot i got. but then i also got this

 i guess he too did not want his picture taken.

it's not easy taking pictures of your own.

i hope i have better luck next time.

what I've learned in photo classes

i have been taking photoshop classes to learn to edit my pictures. to make them pro looking.

it has been a learning curve for me since i had never even dabbled in photography much less photoshop, when i first opened the program i have to admit i was very intimidated by it.

 lucky for me i have a great instructor is who is well versed in photoshop 

and who is also a great teacher.

 this is a shot that i took of my sister's dog Hurley this summer.

straight out of camera:

this is without editing. i liked the shot but was not happy with the water drippings on the floor.

nor with the redness of his eyes. 

i edited a first time  and brightened it up a bit but i was still not able to get rid of the water marks on the floor or the redness in his eyes.

and this is the final edit after brushing up on my photoshop skills.

i learned how to remove the water marks by using the patch tool. i brightened and eliminated some of the redness to his eyes and cleaned up a few areas on his coat.

much better, don't ya think?

i am much happier with this image. makes me feel one step closer to my goal.

wishing you a great weekend ahead.

new logo

been working on getting a new watermark for my pictures.

after many hours of looking at various watermarks, i finally decided on this one.

i love that i can edit it and change the colors as i see fit.

how freeing it is to finally make a decision and just "pull the trigger" as hubby kept telling me.

i took this picture as inspiration, a reminder that he loves us more than we could ever know.

we are his bride.

now on to practicing more and refining my pictures.

i am in the works of a new big project. photo classes started back up this week.

oh and to mention soccer practice, work, and life...back to busy again.

give a dog a bone

we have had riley for three weeks now.

he has adjusted well and is growing.

to help with his teething we bought him a bone.

he has been working on it all afternoon.

better to chew on the bone than on our toes :)

wishing you a great weekend.

on being creative

there is something to be said about the need to create.

 i had never really considered it until it was brought to my attention that i should take a class

for a creative outlet.

 at that time, i was {unhappily} working in a position that i had been doing for five years...

it drained the life out of me with monotonous work, no creativity whatsoever...

just lots of counting money and dealing with lots of nonsense...

not fun...i was not happy but the weirdest part was i didn't even know it.

i was drained and had no idea why.

i thank that person for pointing that out to me.

i consider myself a creative person and like to make things and work on projects.

i consider experimenting in the kitchen a creative outlet as well. 

i never had considered photography as a creative outlet until 

hubby bought me a fancy shmancy dslr camera. 

{gotta love the hubby}

i decided to take classes because i was afraid of my new camera 

and i didn't want to take it out of the box.

 i had no clue how to use it and was intimidated by it.

i never realized i would like photography this much.

i start to get antsy now if i don't use my camera after a couple of days.

i take way more pictures that often do not get published on this blog.

so now when i feel ansty, i know what i have to do,

c.r.e.a.t.e

like many of you, i have pinned lots of great projects onto my boards of things i'd like to make

the problem is when? have i actually made anything from my boards?

i am making a decision to create something..

to work on my projects and not neglect that part of me...

i get so much joy out of it, it feeds my soul.

i need to create more often.

so that is it. i am resolving to be more creative... to not wait until the conditions are perfect

until i have all the time in the world or my dishes and laundry are done.

that hasn't been working out for me.

i need to c.r.e.a.t.e on a regular basis.

so here are a few projects on my pinterest board that are waiting for me...

i love this pillow in burlap.

i want to create a gallery wall in my hallway

or this to paint, isn't it cute?

time to get started.

 all images via

sweet shot sunday

i hadn't taken my camera out in a couple of days and i was getting antsy {is that even a word?}

so i headed outside with my camera to see what caught my eye. 

i love the mix of purple and green.

i am definitely taking a liking to my new lens. i think i have got the hang of it now.

i especially like the blurry background i get. i really did not have to do much editing to this picture.

 so here it is, my sweet shot of the week.

hope you enjoyed and had a great weekend!

thanks for visiting.

doggy shoot

this week i had the pleasure of taking pictures of this handsome guy.

he is my sister's english bulldog

after some play, he was tired and needed a water break.

it was hot, made it difficult to get a shot of him without the panting tongue

he has such a funny personality.... and all the grunting was too funny.

being a model is tough....but i gave him lots of treats and love!

he even tried to chew on my shoe... dogs are so funny.

thanks for visiting, hope you have a great weekend.

camera play

a couple of weeks ago i ordered a new lens for my camera.

i needed a lens with a wider aperture, the kit lens just wasn't working since it only goes to 5.8.

after doing some research i decided to order a prime lens, 50 mm  f 1.8 aperture, 

what i failed to realize was that this lens does not come with autofocus, oops.

it has been a challenge to get used to, but i guess it will only make me work harder at my craft.

 i really wanted to order this 24-70 mm f 2.8 lens but it is super expensive, like $1,880.

i don't have that kind of scratch. photography as a hobby can be quite expensive.

these shots of my doggy were taken with the new lens.
i like the pictures that i get {when they are not out of focus}.

the picture looks nice and crisp even though it was taken in the afternoon,

something i couldn't have done with the kit lens.

i especially like the {bokeh} blurry background that i get.

for now i need to continue practicing with the lens to get better.

the more i learn about photography, the more i realize i have so much more to learn...

 ahhh the joys of learning...good thing i enjoy learning.