31 / 365 The Happy Tree

Have you ever seen a happier tree? Every time I pick up my son from school, I see this tree and laugh! You can't tell me you don't see two perfect eyes and a goofy smile!

Better Late Then Never...

Hey Everyone...

I know I am a week behind in posts... but that doesn't mean I haven't been photographing anything and everything! It's been a crazy week and I have missed posting, but not nearly as much as keeping up with all of you! So I hope to start getting updated today! Can't wait to catch up with everybody and see what you have all been up to over the past week! Thanks so much for all of the support!!!

~ Marcie

30 / 365 Reflection Of What Might Have Been...

 This is the perfect photo to sum up my week. Quite a week for reflection in my house... 

 For those who don't know me well, I recently made the choice to close down my company! 

I was the owner and founder of KAKE anedibledesigncompany, A business that I worked so hard to create, my heart and soul went into KAKE... in some ways it also took the life right out of me... long story, maybe for another time...

...anyways, in the office today I happen to glance down into one of the round mirrors I have sitting on my desk,  (my office is still packed full of all my "KAKE" related items), I noticed my one lonely little business card,  hanging where all of my orders use to hang and the reality of it all hit really hard. This photo represents so much in my life right now... It's amazing how quickly things change...

29 / 365 A Little Puzzled...

My 1000 piece puzzle, still in progress, but oh so close! The only problem... it's taking up my kitchen table...LOL!!!

28 / 365 Wo"Man's Best Friend!"

I love this Dog, and he doesn't even belong to me! His name is Logan and he belongs to our wonderful neighbors, who I am sad to say are moving away and won't be our neighbors much longer, so sad! 

I was enjoying a wonderful morning visiting Michele (the fellow mom and amazing friend), catching up on all the latest craziness that is happening in life, when I was lucky enough to snap this photo of their amazing dog! 

 Talk about "man's best friend", I have never seen a dog more in tune and concerned about his master! It was fascinating, I don't think he ever took his eyes off of Michele, sensing her stress over the upcoming move and all the changes that are beginning to take place! He actually picked up her slippers and brought them over to her as if he was trying to comfort her, one of the sweetest things I have ever seen! 

I am so glad I captured this moment! I will never forget this amazing family and the life long friend in I have made in Michele! So thankful for that!!!

27 / 365 Horse and Buggy...

As I was driving home from my sons school the other day, I glanced over and noticed this horse just standing all alone by this broke down old car... I actually turned around and went back, thinking, that might make a really funny photo! As I pulled the photos up to look at them I realized that this could have possibly been a photo taken 50+ years ago... there was nothing in the photo to say hey it's "2011", so I went with it, and I actually really liked the end result!

26 / 365 Meet Miss Suzie-Kin

YES... this is a Beauty School Mannequin head, and NO... she is not the only one laying around my house!!! She actually belongs to my 10 year old son! A little strange you might ask... Well actually... Not in the least! 

My son Ky has been absolutely in love and completely fascinated with hair since he was just a wee babe! It's an interest that has only grown more and more over the years! As he grew he was thrilled to get his hands on any gorgeous head of hair that would sit still... we've come home to more then one of our babysitters, who he has gotten his hot little hands on, and of whom became the latest experimentee for him to work his hairstyle magic on! 

Seeing how much he was enjoying himself, we decided to get him a head of hair to work on (hence the mannequin heads), he has one that he has given a short hair cut and the other he keeps long for practicing french braids, etc...  As a beauty school girl myself, I am actually quite proud of how much he has learned. In fact he can braid better then me at this point!

As of late I've found him pulling up hair tutorials on You Tube, on numerous occasions, trying to perfect his skills... everything from intricate braids and Cornrows to zig-zag parts and Up-do's! 

The other day he asked if we could learn to make the flowers that all the girls were wearing in their hair! I confess I wear them too! So we pulled up the tutorial, went to Hobby Lobby,  came home and went to town... He actually made the flower you see above! Now he wants to make one for every "Lady" in his life! I love it! 

I am so proud of him and I can't wait to see where this takes him. I hope he doesn't give up on it, he truly has talent for it! I know it can be hard for him because it's not the typical "hobby" boys his age have, but that's what set's him apart, makes him unique, special, and most of all makes him Ky!

Here's to the next Jonathon Anton!!!

25 / 365 Frozen Once Again...

Well, the snow melted away for a day or so, then I woke up to another morning of pure white, and a fresh blanket of snow... ugh!  Driving home the other day I had notice these tall wicked prickly bushes growing along the road side... (yes, that is their the technical name), anyways, I loved how ice had stuck to just one side of them, so I made a mental note to go back and snap a picture... I think I'd like to shoot these again on a bright sunny day with a blue sky back drop... It be fun to do another "side by side' comparison!!!

24 / 365 Morning Vs. Afternoon

The snow is melting and the sun is making itself known a little more often around our neck of the woods. Thank Goodness! We may have hit temps in the high 30's today and the kids think it's summer. They're looking for shorts and flip flops and telling me how "freakin" hot it is outside! 

We still have some leaves on a few trees outside that never decided to let go during the Autumn months... I noticed this morning that if you caught them from just the right angle, the sun would light them up and they looked like they were almost glowing! I went out and captured a few shots this morning, and then decided to snap a few more this afternoon! 

I loved the comparison of the two shots side by side just at different times of day. You can sense the colder air and cooler tones in the morning shot, and then feel the heavier shadows that come along with the afternoon sun. I couldn't choose between them, although I did love the lens flare that I captured in the afternoon shot! 

After I had shot these I also shot some from the opposite side of the tree, (away from the sun) it was like night and day, the leaves just looked dead and lifeless, almost leathery, no dimension or tone or definition to them at all... so bring on more sun!!!

23 / 365 The Attempt...

... At A Sunday Self Portrait!

This was in no way my plan for today's post... but the day got away from me and before I knew it all the light was gone and everyone was in bed and I was left with very few options. I have been inspired by a few fellow 365'ers to get in front of the camera. I am not sure this completely counts, but It's a START!  Usually I wouldn't have chosen such a busy background, but I actually loved all of the black and white frames behind me, a little bit of organized chaos... it just seem to suit me tonight! So here it is, my "attempt" at a 

 Sunday Self Portrait!

22 / 365 Saturday Morning Special

For those of you who have never heard of Ebelskivers and therefore have never had the opportunity to enjoy them... I am so sorry! These are tradition in my family and have been since I was little, and of course long before that! Ebelskivers are a Danish Pancake... DIVINE, since they are round you can actually stuff them with all sorts of fabulous things like fruits or jams, or savory items like bacon and cheese as well, or you can just drizzle them with syrup and dust them with powdered sugar like we did here! They have to be cooked in an Ebelskiver pan, mine belonged to my Grandma, so it has been seasoned to perfection, similar to a cast iron pan. I know they sell them now at Bed, Bath and Beyond and there are recipes all over the internet for great Ebelskiver batters! Learning to turn them takes some practice but once you get the hang of them they are well worth it!

21 / 365 My Kohl...

(1/15s; f/5.6; ISO: 400; focal length: 28mm)

This is my sweet, brown eyed, olive skinned, dark haired boy, Kohl. He is our 3rd son, soon to be 8 years old. He is the one who stands out among his pasty skinned, freckled, red headed brothers. He is the quiet one and the one who always has to be different. He was playing in the office today in front of an open window that was flooded with natural light, I just asked him to look up and smile at me... and he did!

20 / 365 Around the bend...

I have stared down this canal a million times, but I have never bothered to walk down and take a peek to see what lays around the bend... In the summer time it's full of water, kids grab there inner tubes and actually float down the canal! I know this is where they get in... but I have no idea where they get out! I will have to go back this summer and take some photos of the kids enjoying it during the warm weather!

Also, I too played with textures today, I loved what it added to this photo! Thanks to Chelsea, at Camera Craze 365 for the inspiration and to Kim Klassen for her amazing and simple tutorial! Make sure you check it out!

19 / 365 Lucy and her Pig!

 First off let me start off by saying a big "THANK YOU" to everyone for all of the warm wishes, positive comments and kind words in general. It has made all the difference for me this week. I am still struggling to bounce back, but having something creative to focus on really seems to help! It is amazing to have developed such a huge support system in such a short period of time and I am truly thankful for each of you. I look forward to your photo inspirations every single day, so thanks so much for letting me be a part of each of your 365 journeys and encouraging me along on mine!!!

This is our English Bulldog "Lucy" and this is Lucy's baby, "Pig".  It's not often that Lucy is without Pig. This is also not the first "Pig" that Lucy has "loved!" Lucy's only goal in life is to "love" her Pig to death! 

 

Pig used to have a body... now he is not much more then a neck and a head, he also used to squeak, but Lucy will usually take care of that within minutes of receiving her new "Pig"... 

 

Pig is made up a very dense and ABSORBANT  foam, therefore thanks to Lucy's constant chewing Pig is thoroughly saturated and very DAMP!!! 

 

Some of my favorite things about Pig are: finding him in my bed at night, stepping on him barefoot while walking through a dark house, or having him dropped on my face while I'm sound asleep, as Lucy is standing over me in bed because of course she is ready to play!

So thanks Lucy and Pig for keeping me on my toes and making life a little more interesting...

18 / 365 I Spy A Blue Sky

This is the first speck of blue I have seen in the sky for what seems like an eternity, so I grabbed my camera and grabbed a quick shot. I know it's not one of those "WOW" photos by any means, but I just had to document that all elusive blue sky, it was about all my body would allow me to stay on my feet for, so I am thrilled that I got it!

17 / 365 Medical Monday...

...I hate playing catch up!

Yes, here it is Wednesday and I am just getting Monday's post up... I hate feeling behind, but I guess there will be days like this!

I spent most of my Monday in the Emergency room, trying to breathe... it's a great way to start your week..HA! It actually had started on Saturday and got progressively worse until Monday morning, I couldn't breathe at all! Luckily the EKG and X Ray's came back clear, so we are still trying to figure out what is going on, but for now, this lovely little contraption has become my new best friend! 

I seem to be constantly light headed and so shaky, something I'm sure my future photos will reveal, but that's OK, part of documenting everything that is going on this year...right?

16 / 365 Finding Beauty in the Blah...

We have had nothing but gray skies and inversion now here for what seems like months, it is one of the hardest parts of the winters here in Cache Valley. The rest of the year it is absolutely amazing! 

It makes it really hard to feel creative and motivated to photograph ANYTHING! It almost makes it almost impossible to photograph inside as well because there is little or no natural light to work with... so today my goal was to try to still find something beautiful in all the fog and gloom outside. 

I pulled out the zoom lens once again and just decided to scan the landscape outside the window to see what I might find. I instantly loved this tree dotted with rain drops, through the lens they almost looked like tiny little lights scattered about, they popped against the black roof that laid just beyond it. I also loved the green shade of the bark and the red tone of the branches...  oh how I long for spring!!!

15 / 365 The Contents Within...

Yes, I know, this is pathetic... all of this was crammed within my favorite purse! From the outside it looks harmless, but take a peek inside and it's was absolutely frightening! 

Within the contents of my purse I found the following items: a brown paper bag, 3 cell phones (only one of which works), a #4 birthday candle, 1 child's toy car, 1 child's toy airplane, a granola bar, the flash for my camera, a book of sudoku, 2 brand new packs of crayons, a pair of earrings, a pack of photos, a business card holder, expired coupons, my zoom lens, a straw wrapper, a child's book, receipts galore, and 3 empty film containers!!! All of this among the more normal items any woman may carry... such as my day planner, sunglasses, gum, lip stick, umbrella, and some loose change! 

My husband thought this was absolutely hysterical... I'm sure a few of you might too, but luckily for me it gave me my photo for the day and a good reason to  

CLEAN IT OUT!!!

14 / 365 LOVE... on a plate!

So I know I posted a "food" shot last night too, but I couldn't help myself, I mean look at this baby! Chocolate Cheesecake with fresh Raspberries and Raspberry Sorbet... HEAVEN! Tonight was date night with the hubby, it was 2 for 1 dessert night, so we just couldn't pass up the opportunity! 

Lighting was a little tricky with this one, there was very little of it, and everything had an orange glow... but all in all I think it still worked, although I did have a few odd glances from other guests and some of the staff!!!

13 / 365 Orange with Kiwi

An unexpected girls night out gave me the opportunity for this "yummy" photo-op! It was the first time in a long time that I had the opportunity to catch up with the girls! I am so glad that my wonderful husband insisted that I go and have a little "me" time! It was so good to see all of them, they are all such amazing ladies!

12 / 365 Beautiful Boy

Meet Owen! One of the cutest (almost) 4 year old's in the world! Owens mom is my closest friend. As we were all out running errands together today, I pulled the car over to take some pictures of a stream that caught my eye, hoping to get a great shot for my 365 project. When I got back in the car, Owen, and my son Krew had been decorating themselves with scrap booking stickers! I couldn't resist snapping a shot! When I got home today and sorted through the photos I had taken, this photo of Owen was far more interesting and enjoyable then anything else I had captured. So thanks Owen for making "day 12" so dang cute!

11 / 365 The Back Road

Today was one of the first days in a long time that I have seen blue sky, so I decided I would take a little drive after I dropped my youngest off to preschool and see if I could take advantage of the weather! I headed over to a local park that I love to photograph at, but I didn't really find to much that interested me... on my way home I decided to take my favorite little back road, it winds and curves, and it gives you a beautiful view of the valley we live in. As I drove it today, this little abandoned barn caught my eye. I loved it! The shanty looking roof, the rust stains, the old fence, the color of the blue sky popping behind it and the long shadows the early morning sun was casting on the snow in front of it! It felt so good to get out and actually enjoy one of these cold January days!

10 / 365 Little Hidden Note

Tonight as I was sorting through the wad of crumpled papers in my 7 years old's homework folder, I happen to come across this cute little note stuck to one of the pages. I smiled as I read it! It made me feel good inside to know that his teacher cared enough to take the time to stop and express her appreciation and love for him! 

I had already shot a few different photos today that I thought about using for my 365 project, but after I read this sweet note I knew this had to represent "Day 10"! From a photographic point of view I know it's no work of art... but from a mother's point of view, I couldn't be more proud!

9 / 365 Forgotten Fun

This playset caught my eye tonight as its bright colors contrasted against the pure white snow. It sits directly across the street from our house in our neighbors back yard. As I looked out our front window of the office, to see the sun setting on the mountains, I noticed how the sky had turned a shade of pink and that sun had lit up the playset. It only lasted for a minute and then it was gone... It made me think of the warm sun of summer and how before we know it, all the kids in the neighborhood will be laughing and climbing about it once again!

8 / 365 Its Whats For Dinner...

...well for him at least!

My oldest son, Kason, got the opportunity to go Ice Fishing with his "Fly Time" club today! This was the first time he had ever been fishing and luckily he caught one! He came home with bright red cheeks, so proud of himself, he was just beaming. It couldn't have been more perfect for my 365 project! Unfortunately he dropped the fish in the snow a few times, so it didn't photograph as sharply as I would have liked, but I still loved the shot and the opportunity to capture it!

7 / 365 Say Yes To The Dress!

Welcome to one of my most favorite places to be... WORK! Two days a week for four hours, this is where I get to spend my time and I LOVE IT! It gives me a nice little escape during the week and chance to have some "girl" time! So today this was my inspiration. I just love the sea of white dresses hanging neatly in a row! Its so much fun to work with the brides when they come in and help them find that perfect gown and of course it even all that much sweeter when they "say yes to the dress"!

6 / 365 Outside My Window

There is nothing like a great zoom lens! I haven't used mine in awhile, so I decided as I was looking out my window this morning to break it out and take a peek through it to see what I might discover! Who knew how beautiful all those dead bushes in front of the house really were up close. These are basically SOOC, besides a little cropping! I actually took these hanging out of the front window of my house, it's way to cold to actually venture out, I got a few funny looks from a few neighbors driving by, but most of them know me well enough to know I'm not just some crazy lady hanging from a window... at least I hope!

5 / 365 Return to Resolutions...

...this year I plan to hit my goal weight!!!

 

  After loosing 60 lbs last year... (and then gaining a "few" back over the holidays), I plan to continue on my journey and finally hit my goal! I am finished growing my family, so now it's time to focus on getting my body back to being just that... MINE!

4 / 365 Unexpected...

 L i f e...

...life is full of unexpected moments... moments that change our lives, some tender and sweet, some drastic and dark, we never know what type of moment awaits us next, we just know they shape our lives...

An unexpected moment is what inspired my post for today. As I was going about my morning routine, getting my kids out the door for school and my littlest ready for preschool, I stopped to catch up on all the latest Facebook posts. A friend of mine had commented on and linked to a blog that she has been following, it caught my interest and I made a mental note to go back and take a peek at it after the kids were out the door.

So when the house was finally quiet and everyone was on their way, I took a moment and sat down to check out a blog called Embracing Elijah. After only a few minutes of reading I was completely wrapped up in the story of this young family's life and their struggle. I couldn't pull myself away, I read every post, every detail, every comment, and even though most of the entries are from a year or so ago I felt like I was right there in the moment with them... 

This beautiful story really made an impression on me today! My focus this week had been on New Years Resolutions, but after the emotions that surfaced for me today I decided I needed to change my direction...

So today Life became my focus, LITERALLY! I walked around my house looking for each letter within the items that surround me every day. My youngest son "Krew" was home from preschool by this point, I kept telling him that I was looking for the letter "L", I showed him with my fingers, and then he did the same... I knew that those cute little fingers had to be my "L"! 

I think I may actually print this to hang in our home, so that every time I see it I can think about Elijah, my own 4 sweet little boys, and just how precious this Life is...

3 / 365 Resolutions continued...

.... to get continually lost in a great book!

 I have never been a big reader... I have friends who can plow through multiple books in a week! My goal isn't that hefty, even one a month will be satisfaction enough for me! 

I actually just finished a really great book called "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon! I loved every minute of it. I looked forward to reading, even if it was just for a few quiet minutes, before I fell asleep, every night when the house was finally quiet and everyone else was tucked into bed. That time became sacred to me and it allowed me to forget about all the stresses and worries of my day and literally just "get lost"! Now that I have finished the book I almost feel like I am mourning a friend... guess that means I am in search of my next great read... any suggestions? 

As I finished this book I was struck by something that I read, as a mom of four boys it really hit me hard... it reads "Parents- or a whole lot of us, at least - lead by mouth instead of by example."  I just love that little snippets like this can pop up so unexpectedly and have such an impact on our lives. Definitely food for thought...

2 / 365 Hello 2011

New Years Resolutions....to be more creative!

I only wish I could "claim" that I drew this... but the real artist in my house is my husband Mike. My excitement for my 365 project inspired him to start one of his own! His goal is to complete at least a drawing a week for the next year. We have even set him up on a blog as well so we can photograph and share all of his amazing art! This is huge for him considering he use to draw all the time, but with four boys running around our house as well as the demands of everyday life he has found little time to create the art he has such a passion for. His talents with a pencil and paper are the reason we met, one of the many reasons I fell in love with him, and one of the things that bring him great joy in his life. Watching him draw is one of my favorite things to do, and it always inspires me to want to be more creative too! 

Follow Mike at www.ayearinsketch.blogspot.com

1 / 365 Saying Goodbye to 2010

My first post, on my new project, on the first day, in a brand new YEAR!!! It feels AWESOME!  I had to start my project with a photo that could sum up the year 2010 for me personally... crazy, colorful & chaotic, and maybe even a bit of a blur! GOOD BYE 2010! 

I  am really excited for this new year and all of the possibilities it holds. I thought it might be fun to focus this first week of photos on ... yep you guessed it... RESOLUTIONS! It will be interesting to see which ones stick this year!