Showing posts with label PHOTO CHALLENGE 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PHOTO CHALLENGE 2008. Show all posts

Friday 9 May 2008

Photo Challenge 13: BURST

BURST!

As in I ate so much watermelon I'm going to burst, or the soap bubbles bursting at the touch of a tot, or the bursting open of Spring buds and leaves........a burst of energy at the end of a long day....

Tuesday 15 April 2008

Photo Challenge 12: The number 7

In honor of TMBG, Seven, this week's challenge is a number. Do what you want with it! Some suggestions: a series of 7, a group of 7 things, someone who is 7, or cake. LOL.

Sunday 30 March 2008

Photo Challenge 11: Friendship

Ok, I did it, maybe. The flickr group is set up here, but I set it as public, invitation only to post. Is that right? Should I do private? Or completely public? I don't know. I've never done flickr anything before (well, I did upload once for our local homeschool group a couple of photos......but I don't think they even showed up.....). Anyway, any suggestions would be welcome. I think you have to ask to be invited, then I approve and you can upload?

So, here's to the pool!

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Tuesday, There Was So Much to Do.....

Bradley class was canceled Monday night. Nothing to write about there, except that one of the 6 couples in our class had their baby Monday morning! Yay! They were due first, so while it was a little early, not unexpected. I am so happy for them.

We had a Dr. visit today in which Lil'Bug learned that our practitioner is not really a "doctor" and boy was she mad about it. We tried to explain why a Midwife is better for mama and new sister, but Lil'Bug wanted no part of it. She wanted a doctor.

The visit itself went really well. BP good, blood sugar good, no anemia, measuring right at 30 weeks (this means no fibroid growth as well as healthy baby), and good heart beat. We'll see them again in two weeks.

Then we rushed home to get ready for a baby shower. Not my own. Our pregnant homeschooling mom friend might have her baby early and after reading this post about how her family is "supporting" her a bunch of us decided to throw her a baby shower.....with one day's notice. It worked out fine. The kids were stressed out a bit, but that is to be expected I think. Lil'Bug did not handle the chaos well and there was a lot of crying and such on her part. BUT I think H. had a good time and that is what matters.

I've also been busy with my online job. Something went wonky over Spring break on one of my class sites and I am trying to figure it out. THEN firefox decided not to be compatible so for now I am grading out of Safari and I hate it. I'll get over it, it is just driving me up a wall right now and consuming more time than I'd like.

So then I also found out something that upset me. I post a lot of stuff we do here on the blog, but always after we have done it. On a local homeschool board, I often post events that we plan on attending, even issue invitations to others. That part of the forum is closed to the public and only available to local families BUT somehow people I do not want to have contact with, that have nothing to do with homeschooling, know about our activities and whereabouts. Yuck. I canceled my account with the group and since I usually plan the events I attend anyway, as most others plan things with age restrictions that exclude us anyway, I don't think it will impact us too much. If the yuckiness invades my blog, I can block their ISP (I think, I've heard others talk about doing that), but I can't do that on the other forums. Maybe I am being paranoid? I'm just not willing to risk it.

In Photo Challenge news, I am working on setting up a Flicker pool. I got so busy with things that I forgot to post this week's challenge. Well, it is now Thursday so I won't post it this week, BUT I will have everything up and ready by Saturday I hope! Thank you for the great idea Evie!

That's a lot of random stuff, but that's our week. Now, I must get back to work!

Sunday 16 March 2008

Photo Challenge 10- Self

I'm sorry I missed last week for the photo challenge. Oops. Totally fried and flu sick last weekend.

This week I have been challenged to take a decent belly photo. I had to learn how to use the timer on the camera, but I'm still working on it.

This doesn't have to be a self portrait though, just how do you view yourself? Through what? How? Where?

(Also, my brain is fried. Any suggestions for themes are welcomed!)

Sunday 2 March 2008

Photo Challenge 9- Joy

I know, not as simple. But when I captured this little joy on film (digital) I thought it might be fun for friends to catch some of their own. I was messing with settings and it ended up with the shot in B & W. I love it!

Emergence

When the energies- child, balloon, and pregnancy in the family- collide this is what inevitably will happen, eh?

She walked around the Natural Living Expo telling anyone who would listen that she was having a baby too. Yes, I am just about that pregnant. I plan on posting belly pics this week. Her belly pic is way cuter than any of mine!

Monday 25 February 2008

Photo Challenge 8- Emergence

Emergence

It's a vocabulary lesson and a photo challenge! :)

Sunday 17 February 2008

Photo Challenge 7- Local

What is your local view? What does local mean to you?

This one was inspired by our farm visit last week as I realized that even here in Iowa the view out the window changes every so many miles. We've also been talking about local food systems, wildlife, and businesses in our conversations online- the threads of discussion embedded the word in my mind for contemplation this week.

Sunday 10 February 2008

Photo Challenge 6- Cherish

In honor of the calendar's theme for the week.........

Monday 4 February 2008

Photo Challenge 5- Create

I know. Again, with the vague word. Do what you want with it! What it will mean for me this week is to document everything we create: art, food, atmosphere, friendship. I am having trouble this weekend and today with blogger- both the spell check and the photo upload are not working, so my Release photo will be released once I am able!

Sunday 27 January 2008

Photo Challenge 4- Release

The word for this week: Release

That's my revolution word for the year as well. My focus for meditation and relaxation. I am challenging my self to find the visual for this word, both noun and verb.

Later this week I am going to set up a sidebar with those who have participated so far! Feel free to jump in if you haven't.

Monday 21 January 2008

Delight

Sunday 20 January 2008

Photo Challenge 3- Delight!

Delight is the word for the week. It has been dancing in my head since last week. Learning driven by delight, the look of delight on Lil'Bug's face when something is her "favorite!"

Connection

My entry. Pretty simple and not what I was looking for all week, but it has layers. Lil'Bug is playing with magnetic bug parts to build a mega bug. She knew all the different parts, both the bug they come from and the part of the bug body. There were other kids and they would all trade parts based on need and design. She was very intent.

On the sidelines, there was me. I was feeling anything but connected that day until a friend called and invited us to go to the Science Center. I connected with her in a long emotional talk that left me feeling very relieved about many things. I really enjoy her company. It also helps sometimes to talk things out that are stirring inside. Usually when asked about a certain topic, I make vague statements and change the subject, but that particular day I just said what happened. Just plain and simple and straight, I finally felt like I could. (Now here I am being vague, ironic). It was a huge relief to do so and it was like standing up for myself. Instead of pulling away from the community, I felt plugged in and respected for my choice. Part of the give and take. Connected.

Sunday 13 January 2008

Photo Challenge, Word 2 Connection

Word for the week: Connection

What connects you to the world? To your family? To your self? Play with this word and all its possible literal and figurative meanings.

For me it is a reminder of the here and now.

This photo is not my entry, but from the archive. I was teaching Lil'Bug how to test raspberries for readiness of picking last June.

Friday 11 January 2008

Warmth, our year in review.....





Sunday 6 January 2008

Flash Back

That's a pun. I'm going to write today about my long love affair with cameras and pictures.

When I was 12 or so I got my father's old Nikon. Where we lived there were no classes on how to use it and the teenage at the local 1 hour developer was absolutely no help. I would take the pictures and cross my fingers something good would come of it. Sometimes I'd get 1 good picture. I tried black and white film- same results. I longed for someone to show me how.

I dreamed of becoming a photographer for National Geographic. Then we moved to Iowa and the local high school had a college level photography program....that there was a waiting list for and I did not have a chance of getting into. No money either so no class. I took up painting instead, hoping to capture the frames of my imagination in that medium instead.

Fast forward to 2001: my first job out of college I was trained on a Nikon CoolPix digital. DIGITAL! Oh man. I could see the photos as I was taking them. No long wait to see if anything came out. Seriously a huge thing for me.....but a $1,000 camera. So when my job ended so did my access to that dream. I was crushed. (Not to mention that the job is still one I list as the sweetest job ever- driving around rural Iowa taking pictures of historic houses and writing up briefs about them.....talking to people about the value of their properties, grants and resources available to them......ah, yes.)

Lately I would click "camera used" on Flicker when the other mamas posted pictures and then I would drool over mega pixels and picture settings.........and then I would continue on with my camera envy.

So for Christmas of this year, Dearest Husband purchased me my dream camera. What a guy! It was disappointing that it stopped working, but in reality that has just made me more grateful when the replacement came. Now I am going to learn how to use it.

But wait, there's more! Nikon has a monthly challenge for a photo on a theme. I'm going to do the same. No prizes, but fun. So I will post a theme, you post your picture and then a message on my post linking to your post. Make sense? Ah, and they will all be home and family and learning related. Feel free to post a challenge suggestion too!

This week's challenge? Warmth. (I know vague, but simple!)