I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, the first time without Brian and the kids, the second time without Brian. I’m tired. I missed my family! And I missed sleeping in my own bed (made me think perhaps my bed is a bit of an idol for me…hmm…).

I thought I’d toss up a few pictures of my travels for you.

I just want to announce that, after SEVERAL days of upper-70’s, sunny weather, it is now snowing.  That’s right.  Suh-know-wing.

Oh wait, now it’s sunny again.

I don’t know what to do with my kids’ clothes.  They’re all in a pile in their rooms, unable to fit into the drawers.  Summer clothes?  Winter clothes?  What the heck, let’s do it all.

This isn’t going to turn into a photography blog, I promise.  I’m just relatively obsessed right now because of my new camera.

Here are some photos I like better when they’re not in full color.

The dress that the girl is wearing is more modern than I liked for the picture, so I changed the photo to sepia.  I used Picasa to do this and to crop out a lot of the extra stuff, like the car in the background.

I think the scene has a more timeless feel  without the color of the dress and necklace.  The antique furniture and well-loved doll make it feel common to every family, like it is both less personal and more personal.  Hmm, does that make sense?

Here’s my little Dale Evans.  Using Picasa again, I cropped, changed to sepia, and added a fuzzy feel around the edges to take out the plastic-y looking adirondack chair.

This one is just fun.  Using Picasa again (I told you it was easy enough for a busy mom to figure out!) I straightened the photo and highlighted the butterfly on her cheek with the focal black and white option.  For some reason she was in a bad mood, and I took advantage of it.  What else are moms for?
Moms with cameras, anyway.

I took these photos an hour or so ago just before we went on a walk.  It’s a rainy day, giving us low, but photographically fun, light.  I didn’t get my tripod out (because of two factors: I am lazy and I am not sure where it is), so these came out less than tack sharp.  I still like them though.  I added a “gauzy glow” with Picasa.  Yes, okay, I use Picasa instead of Photoshop!  I don’t have time to learn these things!  I am too busy living my life, okay?  Get off my back already!

My Nikon D80 arrived yesterday. As soon as I opened the box, the camera jumped up and snapped this shot.

Then I took a few [hundred] photos, just to get the feel of it. How does it feel?

It feels good.

Except now you can really see how messy I let my kids’ faces get.

And their skinned knees.

My buddy Lisa and I are just giggling over this new toy.

I am trying to keep easy, healthy snacks in the house. Isn’t that every mother’s goal, at least in theory? Anyway, I thought I’d try out Wheat Thins on them. They liked them well enough. I bought the Teddy Grahams for myself, because I was craving chocolate and they have less fat and fewer calories than a bag of Lindt Truffles. (Doesn’t everything?) But really, we all eat both kinds of crackers.

Just for kicks, I examined the Nutrition Facts of both Nabisco products. The crackers have these differences:

• Calories: 130
• Calories from fat: 40
• Total Fat: 4.5g
• Sodium: 160mg
• Potassium: 95mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugars: 8g
• Calcium: 10%

compared to the following:

• Calories: 150
• Calories from fat: 50
• Total fat: 6g
• Sodium: 260mg
• Potassium: 0g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 4g
• Calcium: 2%

Other facts were identical.

Can you tell which was which? The sweeter, higher-sugar crackers were the Teddy Grahams, the first that I listed. The second list belongs to the Wheat Thins package. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather enjoy a handful of Chocolate Teddy Grahams than an equal amount of Wheat Thins. I like both, but come on. Chocolate. In competition with wheat.

I suppose one could argue that sugar is bad for you, and the wheat-flavored crackers may have other benefits not listed on the package. Or that the eater could become so excited about eating the cute chocolate bears that she could accidentally eat half the package.

But arguing is wrong, so I won’t do it here.

I’m going out to play now, after I brush off these crumbs.

If you looked at our dirty laundry pile, you’d think we were a family of twelve. I won’t post a picture of it, to save your delicate sensibilities. This lack of available clothing has forced my son to wear outfits that do not include sweatpants and sweaters. Today, for instance, he is wearing a cotton turtleneck and a pair of fleece pants. Both are too small for him. He has well-fitting clothing in his dresser and closet, but those things have buttons, snaps, and zippers. Too much trouble. Instead, he is going for the “last night I added 4 inches to my arms and legs” look. But that’s fine. We homeschool. I am happy he is out of his pajamas.

The laundry crisis has not really affected Miss Prissy Pants. She recently received a massive load of hand-me-downs from a friend, straight from their dresser drawers to ours. Our girl can wear the knees out of any number of flowered, striped, or solid pants and has a turtleneck shirt for every day of the week. Plus, I had just gotten her a new package of underwear, so she is totally good to go. The clothes came just in time, too. I had, just the week before, cleaned out her wardrobe and sent a bag to a different, smaller friend and I wondered what she was going to wear from now on.

Seeing how I don’t do laundry anymore.

But wait! I am actually washing clothes right this very minute! Drying them, too. Isn’t it fun to do laundry? I mean, you can type away at the computer while you are doing housework. What could be nicer? Maybe listening to sermons while you do the dishes. But you still can’t do that from the couch.

Am I lazy?

Ahem. Don’t answer that.

My washer and dryer are silent now. Off I go to continue making dirty things clean and clothing my family. A mother’s work is never done. Or something like that.

The kids are playing something, happily together in some imaginary world.  It’s fun to listen, while pretending I’m not paying any attention.

Gannon: No no. First we pray, then we cut up the squid, then we each get part of it.

Acadia was rushing ahead, forgetting to thank God for the bountiful repast before them.  Her brother made sure she was reminded.

I pretty much agree with what this guy has to say on the subject. The link there is to the first of a series of posts on the topic of why he’s a photographer. Bill Walsh is director of international outreach at Desiring God Ministries, and the view through his lens is inspiring (and I don’t use that word much).

The above photos were taken by Bill Walsh.

I like to look at good photos.  I don’t have a succinct answer for “what makes a good photo”, except to say it’s one that makes me want to get out my camera and shoot, all the while praising God for His amazing creation.  Here are some blogs I read that frequently have such photos as that:

• barebaby
• Blue Candy Photography
• The Pioneer Woman
• Lena Hyde Photography
• The Sweet Life - Sugar Photography
• Trust and Believe - Lisa’s blog

These books are getting my son to read on his own. I love them for that.

Guess who is soon to follow?

If you haven’t read these books, you should go to your library and get one. They are fun. Plus, if you read them, you can be in on the inside jokes. Then you’ll be cool, like us.