Hobbies. It's about time.

In order to do better at something you have to practice. Practice takes time. Time is something I rarely have. I feel like I could spend everyday cleaning the house and taking care of my childern and that's all. And I still wouldn't have time to do that as well as I want. Lately my friend Rebecca has cost me a clean house and made my laundry room look like a bomb hit it! She has sucked my back into sewing again and somehow made me think it would be "fun" to run a half marathon! So, since time isn't something I have in excess, something has to give. That would be the laundry and the bathrooms.

Now that I'm sewing and running again and my house is a disaster why not try to squeeze in some photography! I need to keep taking pictures so I can improve. My problem is I would so rather take pictures than clean. Besides, I'm already really good at cleaning. I don't need the practice. So these are some pictures of my parents at their house. My dad just finished his waterfall, and the yard is gorgeous with everything in bloom! My parents love to work in their yard and have such a great eye and talent for it. I thought I would experiment a little with the pictures.

(I wanted to do a green thumb picture. I couldn't make it exactly what I wanted, but kind of cool anyway.)

I also had a chance to do a photo shoot with a friends daughters. Very photogenic, almost too easy! This is how a couple turned out. The rest are on my photo blog.



I love to take pictures! And I love a clean house! I just wish I had a little more time!

A "quick" craft

In November I had girls craft night with my mom, sister, and sister in law (Ashley). We made some very cute banners for Christmas. We thought they should be easy, they ended up taking hours!!! But they were so cool they were worth it. We rationalized that we could use the left over supplies to make a Valentines one. So last week Ashley came over in the evening and we got started. We kept saying this should go really fast. Well at 1 in the morning we were done! Maybe we talk to much...anyway, they are sooo cute. If I do say so myself. Ashley, thanks for your help and hanging out!

Cute Cousins

Heidi and her kids came to visit last week! It was so fun to see her again. And it was fun have all the cousins get together and play. We thought since all the cousins were together we should take some pictures. What an ordeal! It was a screamfest! But I think I took enough pictures that we got a couple good ones. I don't think we will be trying this again for awhile.

Some of Callie's pics

Hobbies?

I have always hated it when I had to fill out something and it asked what my HOBBIES or talents are. I've really never known what to write. When Casey and I were dating I would joke with him that I wasn't really good at anything, but that I wasn't really BAD at anything either. (I've found the later to be incorrect occasionally). Anyway, I guess that I've always been a dabbler. I like to try everything, but I always change so I never really excel at anything, which doesn't bother me except when I have to fill out those questionnaires.
So I think I know what my hobbies are these days. I'm back into scrapbooking, photography, and blogging (obviously). I also still LOVE running, but I am way too disorganized right now and don't have the FEAR of Hood to Coast. Hopefully I'll pick it up again after soccer season. I kind of quit scrapbooking because I just couldn't keep up. Plus all my pictures are on the computer now so I don't have to worry about filing them or remembering when I took them. Photography I gave up on because I got myself this really cool film camera a couple years too early, right before digital became the rage. Anyway, I am a slow learner with the lighting and such, and that is a very expensive way to be on a film camera.
So here's why I'm back into them. Photoshop. I love it! I've decided that is the real hobby. I can make my mediocre pictures look really cool (well I think they're cool) and now that I figured out how to download scrapbook papers and embellishments, I can scrapbook without making a visit to the craft store! I've helped Ashley get started too, it's pretty fun working on pages and showing each other what we've done.
I also had the chance to take some pictures for a friend. It is so fun to see how I can tweak a picture to make it look just the way I want.
So here's my new problem. Now I want a new camera. A digital one that can do all the things my film camera did. I think I could learn a little faster on a digital camera. My sister-in-law, Natalie's pictures are so cool, and I thought how great it would be to just take the picture right in the first place. I wouldn't have to spend quite as much time on the computer...

These are a few of my favorite pictures of my friends girls!