I'm Alive!

It's hard to believe that the last time that I touched this blog was February.  That is taking slacking to a whole other level.  It's not that I haven't been taking pictures.  The problem was that I was adjusting to going back to work, being pregnant, lack of sleep, and not enough hours in the day to get everything done.  I'm am still not adjusted, but I have added a little bundle of joy to the mix.  While I no longer have to deal with the symptoms of pregnancy, I am adjusting to life with a toddler and a newborn. I am going to attempt to get back into the habit of blogging for me, and working on my 30 before 30 bucket list.

52 Faces: Weeks 5 & 6

Week 5: I sat him on the couch, and told him to smile.  He did.  I was a little shocked.

 Week 6: I left him on the chair, and went in the kitchen to cook.  This is what I found when I checked on him.  He found something to entertain himself, other than the television.

Linking up...

P52: Week 5 {Shadows}

I knew exactly the shot I wanted for this week's challenge, and I went about making it happen.  We had sunny days this week, and warm weather.  I wish I could have included the husband, but he works until after dark, and leaves before Micah is awake in the morning.  

Next week's theme is Drink Up!  That ought to be fun.

Linking up...

P52: Week 4 {Self-Portrait}

This picture was actually difficult for me to take.  I couldn't really get anything to go right.  It's not what I wanted, but it reflects the way I was feeling at the time it was taken.

Next week's theme is Shadows.

Linking up...

I am also going to attempt to get in the picture more often, so I'm linking up to Urban Muser, as well.  I'll only be joining once a month.

52 Faces: Week 4

I had just finished making my bed.  Micah decided that he would "fix" the pillows.  This face says guilty.

Linking up...

P52: Week 3 {I Dreamed A Dream}

I had grand plans for this weeks photo.  Things did not work out as planned.  So I'll carry on, and try to do better next week.  {Which, in case you hadn't noticed, starts in two days.}  Funny fact: I rarely remember that I dream, let alone what I dream, but this morning I had a doozy of a dream.

Linking up... 

52 Faces: Week 3

My sweet boy turned fourteen months this week.  I took a few pictures of him.  This is one of my favorites.

Linking up...

P52: Week 2 {Made With Love}

SOOC; Nikon D5000; f/ 5.0; 1/30; focal length 34mm

This is my son, Micah, with his quilt.  It is the very first quilt I made.  I made it especially for him.  The quilt is full of imperfections and mistakes.  There are no straight lines and the binding is horrible, to say the least.  But him... That little boy is my greatest work, to date.  Both he and the quilt were made with love.

Linking up...

Next week's theme is I Dreamed A Dream.

52 Faces: Week 2

This week, we had rain that brought with it warmer weather.  On Monday afternoon, the rain clouds stayed away long enough for Micah and I to get these shots.  He has always been fascinated by shoes.  A while ago, he started trying to put his own shoes on.  Recently, he realized that he can put his feet in mommy and daddy's shoes.  

Linking up...

Look At What I Did

Back when I first gave birth to Micah, I attempted to make the monthly onesies that are so popular in the blog world.  It did not go well.  In fact it was a big fat FAIL.  {Second paragraph}  In short, I couldn't get the images to transfer using iron-on transfers. If only I knew then what I know now.

I stumbled upon a blog post tutorial of freezer paper stenciling. Blame Pinterest.  If you google freezer paper tutorial, you can find all sorts of tutorials, such as HERE, HERE, and HERE.  Those were the first three that came up when I googled.  The following is not a tutorial.  I'll leave that to the people who know what they're doing.  But look what I did!

I used a tee shirt that I had already.  

Cut out stencil.  I ended up using a razor blade knife, because apparently my Wal-Mart doesn't carry Exacto knives.

Iron on the stencil.

Add the fabric paint*.  Not too much at one time.  You don't want it to start drying before you get to it with the brush.

Paint it into the cutouts.  Again, a little at a time.

Allow it to dry a little, and peel the stencil off.

Finished product.

The last step is to wait for it to completely dry, then run the iron across it to seal the design.  But I was too excited to show this tonight.  I'll try to remember to let you know how it holds up.

So I had a few mistakes, of course.  I didn't allow the paint to dry enough before I removed the stencil.  That led to some of the fabric paint* smearing onto my fingers then onto the shirt.  I made sure to iron down all the little nooks and crannies, so that the paint wouldn't bleed under the stencil though.  It was also not that simple to remove the stencil that I had ironed down so well, especially the lettering, because there were so many small pieces where the stencil tore. Be sure to iron without steam.  That worked well for me.  I wasn't sure if the steam would interfere with the freezer paper sticking to the shirt.

All in all, I love this little craft project.  It was a little time consuming and tedious, because I had to very carefully cut out the stencil, but not too bad.  Seriously, I went to Wal-Mart at about 8:30pm to get the supplies, and finished at about 11:00pm.  Two and a half hours for one shirt.  However, I look forward to doing many more of these types of projects.  I have 150 square feet of freezer paper to go through after all.  Micah will definitely be rocking some custom shirts.

* I used Tulip fabric paint.

30x30 Remix: {Outfits 1-3}

So I've finally started my 30 for 30 Remix wardrobe challenge.  {Number 12 on my birthday bucket list.} I had actually started before, but every day I forgot to take pictures.  So I had to start again.

Outfit 1: I wore this outfit to church.  The pictures are the best I could do with what I had.  It was raining outside, so the lighting was not good. {I really need a tripod and remote.  At least the remote.}

Outfit 2: I wore this outfit at home.  It was comfortable, and allowed me to play with Micah without wanting to change clothes.

Outfit 3: I am wearing this outfit mostly at home.  I do have to go to the grocery store later.

So there you have my first three outfits.  Nothing spectacular, but they work for me.  Look for more outfits every three days or so.

Making a Camera Strap Cover

Everyday, I hop around the internet from blog to blog.  Tonight, I happened across Cindylouh's post that shows how to make a camera strap cover.  I had seen several tutorial's for camera straps covers before, but they never really caught my interest.  Actually, I was convinced that Mikey wouldn't be interested in a camera strap cover.  Since I've recently found the charger for my smaller Nikon {Nikon Coolpix P100}, I decided to try one for this camera.

Some of the supplies.  I also used the sewing machine, a tape measure,  and green thread.

It was actually much simpler than I thought it would be.  The hardest part was definitely turning the strap cover inside out.  I almost gave up, but I persevered.  I'm glad that I did.

I didn't take as many photos during as I thought I would.  Once I got started, I was so focused on sewing straight lines that I just forgot about the camera, even though it was sitting right beside me. My lines probably could have been straighter, but it works for me.  Overall, I like the strap cover.  It's a little shorter than I wanted it to be.  That's because I used pre-cut fabric that I had stashed.  I didn't have fusible light fleece interfacing either, so I just used what I had, which is quilt batting.  It was a little more messy to work with, but it worked for me. I also didn't iron the finished product.  I kind of like the puffy look.  I can feel how the strap cover helps cushion the weight of the camera.  I'm planning to make one for our Nikon D5000 too now that I've made this first one.   It's heavier than the Coolpix, so any relief is welcome. I think I'm going to make it reversible, just so I'll have options.  Now I just have to find fabric.

Scavenger Hunt: {Jan 8}

I'm joining Ashley for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  The list of items is One Color, Laundry, Empty, One Dozen and Soft.  I must admit I had fun with this scavenger hunt.  I probably won't enter every week with the other two photo challenges that I'm doing, and my real world responsibilities {like parenting, cooking, cleaning, etc.}, but I'm going to try.  Here are my scavenger hunt items...

One Color:  This one just sort of happened.  I was thinking about doing several different things, but this shot worked. Green also just happens to be my favorite color.

Laundry:  I had the vision for what I wanted to do for this item immediately.  I didn't count on the fact that my laundry room is smaller than I thought. Here are both of the images that I chose.  The second one is the shot I was attempting to get.  It didn't come out quite like I wanted.

Notice the laundry reflected in the washer.

Daddy's, Mommy's, and Micah's laundry.

Empty:  This one found me.  I was headed to set up the shot that I had envisioned.  Then I noticed that my son had emptied my cup of markers as his personal form of entertainment.

One Dozen:  My husband helped with this one.  I was brainstorming, and he suggested that I try a shot of a dozen pairs of my shoes.  He's convinced that I have too many pairs of shoes.  I told him that it is impossible to have too many pairs of shoes.  I changed it up a bit and shot a photo of a dozen pairs of my family's shoes.

Dress shoes, sneakers, house shoes, and sandals.

Soft:  My husband helped with this one too.  He suggested I shoot Micah's stuffed animals.  They are all really soft.

Linking up...

Alphabet Soup

Here are my ABCs:

A. Age: 28

B. Bed size: King - When Micah manages to sneak into our bed to sleep with us, he takes up way more space than his little body should need. We need the king sized bed we have.

C. Chore you hate: Laundry, particularly putting it up.

D. Dogs: None, but I want a miniature poodle really badly.  I am also thinking about a Maltese.  One or the other.

E. Essential start to your day: Hitting the snooze button.

F. Favorite color: Green

G. Gold or silver: Silver.

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments: voice {if you want to call it an instrument}

J. Job title: Stay-at-Home Mom

K. Kids: Micah Tremaine

L. Live: Atlanta, Georgia

M. Mom’s name: Agnes

N. Nicknames: Tasha

O. Overnight hospital stays: Yes, two.  Once to have a very large fibroid removed, and again when I gave birth to Micah.

P. Pet peeve: Bad drivers.  I may or may not have a tiny bit of something vaguely resembling road rage.  But only from the comfort of my own vehicle. And I never confront other people except in my head.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Hakuna Matata.  It means no worries."

 

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two brothers and one sister.

T. Time you wake up: Whenever Micah wakes up.

U. Underwear: Whatever is comfortable.

V. Vegetables you dislike: Onions

W. What makes you run late: Not knowing what to wear.  I also tend to underestimate how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B.  This equals perpetual tardiness.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental x-rays.  No broken bones, to date.

Y. Yummy food you make: Peach cobbler.  This is my specialty in the family.

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Big cats.  Lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs. I like them all.

52 Faces: Week 1

I am late finding Courtney's 52 week photo challenge, but I've found it, so I'm joining up.  Micah is my main subject, and I take tons of pictures of him weekly.  This challenge shouldn't be too difficult for me, as far as having the photo to link up.  The challenge will be taking thoughtful photos and working to improve my photography skills. So here you go Micah's face.

This is a horrible picture of Micah.  He was fighting sleep in the car, and just generally fussy.  The lighting is horrible.  There's too much wrong with it for me to say it all.  Next week has to be better.

P52: Week 1 {Resolution}

I am not, nor do I claim to be, a great photographer.  I like taking pictures, both in front of and behind the camera.  I would like to be a better photographer.  That's why I want to take a course in photography.  While I'm waiting on that to happen, I'm going to participate in a photography challenge.  I may not enter an image each week, but I'm guessing that this challenge will help me to figure out some things.  Also last year, around this time, I said I was going to participate in a free online photography course that I had found.  That didn't work out.  I think it was a combination of free {not losing any money} and online {not personally accountable to anyone} that made me not stick it out.  I think I am going to try again.

Now about the challenge.  

Darcy is hosting Project 52 Photography Challenge at Life With My 3 Boybarians.  This week's theme is Resolution.  Since my resolution, inspiration, was actually a theme, I was having some difficulty figuring out what to photograph.

SOOC; Nikon D5000; f/ 3.5; 1/640; focal length 18mm

I chose a photo of a sunrise.  My resolution is to find inspiration in each new day and each new opportunity.

30x30: Item 12 {Wardrobe Challenge}

After giving birth to Micah, my body changed. I know, I should not be surprised. I gained about five pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I think it looks good on me.  The problem is that my clothes that used to fit don't fit anymore.  That wouldn't be such a problem if I was employed, and could afford to shop.  However, I am currently unemployed, and therefore shopping is not in my budget.  Moment of silence as I grieve my shopping budget. Moving on. My wardrobe challenge courtesy of Kendie via academichic. Use 30 clothing items to create 30 outfits. Those are Kendie's guidelines.  Here are my guidelines.

1. Choose thirty clothing items from my closet.

2. Create thirty different outfits.

3. Accessories do not count toward clothing items.

4. No shopping.
5. Each items must be worn at least once during the challenge.
6.  I am giving my self permission to take a day off every once in a while. There is no timeline.

Want to know what I have learned while choosing the clothing items to be a part of this challenge?  I mostly shop at the same places.  My closet lacks a diversity of color and texture.  My closet lacks patterns.  I need accessories.  I really want to go shopping! So here go my items.

1. Black Button Up                                                     16. Lavender Jacket
2. Floral Top                                                                17. Black Cardigan
3. Navy Pleated Top                                                   18. Gray Trousers
4. Striped Yellow and Gray Sweater                        19. Skinny Jeans
5. White Tank                                                             20. Trouser Jeans
6. Cream Peasant Top                                                 21. Navy Khakis
7. Gray Shirt                                                               22. Black Pleated Skirt
8. White Button Up                                                    23. Black & White Skirt
9. Gray Tank                                                               24. Tan Dress
10. Striped T-shirt                                                       25. Black Dress
11. Gold Blouse                                                          26. Cognac Boots
12. Yellow Blouse                                                      27. Brown Mary Jane Heels
13. Black T-shirt                                                         28. Black Boots
14. Black Jacket                                                         29. Pewter Flats
15. Green Cardigan                                                   30. White Pumas Exchanged for Black Pumas


And so it begins.

The List

I have seen many bucket list type lists online.  I have even tried the 101 Things in 1001 Days list.  That's a lot of things to think of for a list.  I quit long before the 1001 days were over. As a matter of fact, I still have time before that list should be complete.  I've also seen the # by # birthday bucket lists.  Those seem a little more manageable.  So here is mine.  Thirty things that I would like to accomplish before my thirtieth birthday.  In no particular order.

1. Fly first class.  I have flown before, but it was coach.  I would like to just once see what the fuss is about first class flying.

2. Visit San Francisco.  For some reason San Francisco stands out as someplace I would like to visit.

3. Learn to swim.  I am ashamed to say that I don't know how to swim.  I want my kids to be able to swim, and I realize that I need to know how to swim also.

4. Write a children's book.  Even if I just have one printed for Micah.

5. Run a 5K.  I am not athletic in any way, but I would like to be. Running a 5K seems like a reasonable goal to get started.

6. Read the Bible from cover to cover.  I think this one is pretty self explanatory.

7. Take a photography course.  I would like to learn to use my camera in manual mode.

8. Go on a road trip. Make at least 4 planned stops.  This does not include potty breaks, snack breaks, etc.

9. Put my feet in the Pacific Ocean. I've visited the Pacific Ocean before, but somehow I didn't touch it.

10. Have a monthly home date night.  Once a month have a date night at home.  Watch a movie, play card games, picnic in front of the television, etc.

11. Go to a drive-in movie. I have fond memories of going to the drive-in movies as a child. I would love to relive the memories.

12. Complete a wardrobe challenge. Since I'm on a shopping hiatus, I may as well figure out how to use what I've got. And because this is my 30 before 30 list, I'm going to attempt the Kendie's 30 for 30 challenge.  It's pretty simple.  Use 30 clothing items to create 30 outfits.

13. Go on a dinner cruise.  I've done this before, but would love to do it again.

14. Go mini-golfing.  I've never been mini-golfing.  I think this needs to be remedied.

15. Go ice-skating.  I've never been ice skating either.  I know how to roller skate, though.

16. Take dance lessons.  I'm not sure what type of dance, but I want to learn something.  Ballroom?  Latin?

17. Learn to sew.  More like learn to sew well enough to make my own dress.  I can sew a straight line, and I've made quilts, but nothing with a pattern.

18. Go natural.  I am growing my relaxer out.  My hair is not healthy. I am going to go natural to get to healthy hair.

19. Explore Atlanta like a tourist.  I want to do all the tourist things like Six Flag Over Georgia, the Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, World of Coca-Cola, Stone Mountain Park, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.  

20. Angel Tree.  I want to adopt a child or children from the Angel Tree program.  There seem to be several organizations that host Angel Trees, like here and here.  There's also local programs as well.

21. Go to a book signing.  I love to read.  I don't really have a favorite author, but I would love to go to a book signing.

22. Pay for someone's meal behind me in the drive thru.  Fast food is generally not an expensive meal. I think it would be fun to gift someone with a meal.  Even if it's just fast food.

23. Give a 100% tip.  Granted this would only be for the most awesome service.  I am a subscriber to the awesome tips for services that are above and beyond.  I have worked in the service industry before, and I hate servers who act like you are inconveniencing them because you expect reasonable service.

24. Be able to touch my toes.  My intention is to be able to do this without bending my knees.  I have lost any semblance of flexibility.

25. Send a random care package.  For absolutely no reason, choose someone who is not expecting anything from me, and send them a care package.  This will probably be a child.  I always loved getting mail as a child.  Besides that kids stuff is so fun.

26. Go for a Sunday drive / Day Trip. I like visiting new places.

27. Have a pamper me day.  I'm talking manicure, pedicure, massage, new outfit, fancy dinner, night out.  I used to treat myself to these types of things all the time.  Not so much anymore.

28. Go tailgating.  I would prefer to tailgate at a South Carolina football game, but any college or national football game will do.  Bonus points if I attend the game, as well.

29. Host a giveaway on my blog.  First I would have to build up followers.  I know some of my family visit the blog regularly, but if I want more than a handful of people entering, I need more followers.

30. Give birth to baby # 2.  Or be pregnant.  This one is not solely up to me.  Mikey does get some say in the decision.  But I would like to either at least be working on a second child by the time I'm thirty, since I want my children to be relatively closely spaced.

There you have it, my thirtieth birthday bucket list.  And just in case something on my list is impossible to complete, I'm giving myself substitute items.

*****

Substitute/Bonus Items

a. Own a pair of absurdly expensive shoes. I'm thinking Louboutin's, Jimmy Choo's, Manolo's. 

b. Learn to crochet or knit.  I would love to be able to knitor crochet hats, scarves, and other fun things.

c. Meet someone famous.  This means actually talking to the person, not just seeing them from a distance.  I want an autograph or a picture or something.

d.  Learn to speak another language. At least semi-fluently.  I took Spanish in high school for three years, and four courses in college.  I still can't hold a conversation, even haltingly, in Spanish.  I am sad.

e. Get CPR certified.  With children, you can never be too safe.

f. Ride a mechanical bull.  Just because I think it would be fun.

g. Stay at a bed and breakfast. I have wanted to stay at a B&B for a while now.  There's something about them that just seems so quaint and restful.

h. Go to a music concert.  I've only been to one concert before, and I had a great time.

The goal is to complete these items before my thirtieth birthday which is July 28, 2013.  That gives me roughly a year and a half to complete the list.  I also plan to start another birthday bucket list when this one is complete.  Hopefully, I will complete the entire list.  But just in case I don't, the incomplete items will transfer to my 35 by 35 list.  Why don't you join in the fun?  Create your own birthday bucket list.  Any suggestions for items to add to my next birthday bucket list.

Talking In Color

There was too much going on over on Growing up Giles.  I love blogging about my family and what we're up to, but I also want to be able to have a space that's just for me and my interests.  Talking in Color will be that space.  My 30 before 30 bucket list will be migrating over here, and my Project 52 will also.

So why Talking in Color?  When I was much younger, I imagined that whispering was talking in black and white.  Talking aloud, therefore, was talking in color.  It made perfect sense to me then, and continues to make sense to me now.  The problem, however, is that most others who I've told about my thought process thought that it was weird.  I don't know if it's weird or not, but it works for me.  So welcome to Talking in Color.  Enjoy the ride.

This is going to be a little wonky at first because I'm going to import the few posts from my bucket list. Bare with me.  Please.