i had a photo shoot with the rain.

sorry about the random watermarks. i'm not sure why it only went on half of the pictures. :\
all photos are unedited.

Meet Ophelia

Yesterday my mom took me to Best Buy and I bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Her name is Ophelia.

I really like her, and I really feel super blessed to have been able to buy her.

As you can see, she creates beautiful bokeh.

Food

     Recently (as in, this past March) I found out that I really like cooking. Crazy, right?

     It's so wonderful in my mind to be able to add all these crazy spices and ingredients together, and make it into something delicious. I love the feel of a sharp knife in my hand as I chop up onions, potatoes, chives, or even chocolate; my fingers push the loose bits off the knife onto the cutting board, and I feel like a chef on T.V. The diced onions, chives, etc., go into the frying pan and I turn up the heat as I add some oil. Soon they're sizzling beautifully. I love that sound.

     I like baking a lot too. Mixing up the ingredients, finding new recipes that come out to be some of the best desserts I've tried. Pulling the cake or brownies out of the oven and setting it on the counter, then pricking the baked surface with a wisp of a toothpick, just to pull it out again and see the moist crumbs clinging to the wood, just like the recipe said it would.

     I love trying new recipes, whether it be for cooking or baking. The excitement as I mix the ingredients together or brown them over the stove, just waiting to see if they will come out to be as delicious as they sound, or as the pictures look.

     I also love photography, but so far I have almost completely failed at food photography. On Friday night I tried a new chicken recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook and I took my plate outside to photograph it, hoping that the natural light would work wonders for me.

I think it definitely helped, but they're still not the best. I just need practice. :)

   

Sweet Spring Days

White dandelions: flowers that have one more life to live.

This one is a baby.

Relaxing on a beautiful spring day on the hammock =  one of the best things in the world.

An afternoon on the front lawn

Lydia and I had a mini photo shoot the other day.

She did somersaults and I sat and took pictures. This is her "Ta-da" look. :)

She took some pictures...(yes, I look super tired :P )

 I laughed and made sure she didn't drop Fisher while she announced what she would take pictures of.
"I'm taking a picture of the van. I'm taking a picture of my feet."

When Lyddie grows up she's either going to be a hairdresser, photographer, musician, or dancer. Maybe a singer too. And definitely a mommy. But for now she's only four-almost-five, and she likes being a little girl. Although practicing all those things is fun too. ;)

(I guest posted at Beloved Star! Go check it out!)

P.S. How do you like my new blog design?

Hugo

I just finished watching the movie Hugo with my dad and siblings. I had no idea what the movie was about before watching the movie, which made it very fun.
     Before I begin, I would just like to say that I really am not sure if I liked the movie or not. That is to say, I really enjoyed it quite a lot, but I don't know if it's the type of movie that you watch over and over, or if you just watch it once and let everything sink in for that one time. I suppose I'll probably see it at least one more time, maybe in a few years, but for now I'm just letting it sit.
The characters were likable, the movie was funny and sweet and whimsical and vintage and cute. The storyline seemed complex and yet incredibly simple. But my favorite character? Isabelle. If you've seen the movie, then you might know why I loved her. She is a huge fan of books, she is adventurous, she is sweet, she loves poetry, and she has the cutest outfits and hairstyle!

Can you tell that it's set in the 30's? I love that Isabelle wears two different patterns together and makes it look super cute.
     I really love the charm that the movie had. Yes, the plot was slow throughout the entire movie, but it had that charm to it, that made me want to keep watching to see what would happen. Maybe it was the mysteriousness of the automaton and the key, and Georges Méliès past, etc. Oh, did I mention that not only is it set in the 1930's, it's also set in Paris. Yeah. How cool is that? I love how even though Papa Georges says that "Happy ends are only found in movies" everyone in the movie has a happy ending. One quote that was beautiful and so reminded me of GOD is something that Hugo said:

I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too. 

It reminded me that God has put each of us here for a purpose, and nobody in this world was created as a "mistake".  Anyway, if you would like to, go watch Hugo and let me know what you think of it!

Giveaway & Sneak Peek

Just a heads up!

Ashley from Bramblewood Fashion is hosting a giveaway for a dress from Shabby Apple! I absolutely love the clothing on the Shabby Apple's website (link). They are beautiful, flattering, fun, and most importantly, modest! (most of them anyway ;) ) I have the Sacred Falls dress that I got for a wedding, and it is absolutely beautiful. :) I have worn it three times since buying it, and it's great. 

Well, that's all I have to say for now. :) I had a really nice time at my friends' house, and I even got to *kind of* do my friend's senior pictures. It was very impromptu and I didn't know that much about what I was doing, but it was fun and we found some cool places to use as backgrounds. I will leave you with one picture from the shoot and *perhaps* you'll see more at a later time. :)

Excuses

I am very sorry that I haven't updated this blog in such a very long time, and I would like to apologize in advance for not being able to post for a while either. 

You see, last weekend I went with my dad and older sister Meg, to New York. The purpose was to go to a Phil Keaggy concert (we have grown up listening to his music) where he was performing at a blues club in Times Square, and we ended up staying with my aunt who happens to live in the "perfect" town of Bronxville. I call it "perfect", because it is the sweetest little town with all the shops and stores you might imagine in a darling little town. I am sorry to say that there is not a designated candy store like you might conjure up in your mind, but almost everything else is a reality in Bronxville. There's a wedding dress store, a bakery, a book shop, a fish store, a grocery store, a hardware store, a tiny little movie theater, a train station, a funeral home, the most exquisite houses you have ever seen, and numerous clothing and specialty shops. 

But I didn't begin writing with the intent to describe this town that does have its faults. I came to tell you of why I haven't written and won't be able to write.

That was last weekend. Tomorrow my sisters and I are working at my uncle's house in the morning, and then we're having company int he afternoon. On Monday I am going to stay with our friends until Thursday, and then over that weekend I will be packing for my week-long trip to Florida with my aunt, sister Mary (I can't help but think of the movie "Persuasion" when I call her "sister Mary"), and cousin. We leave on Monday, get back the next Monday, and then (oh joy of joys!) on that Saturday I am attending a photography workshop! Perhaps I will have enough time to post a little more tomorrow, but for now I just have to go to bed. Goodnight. Sweet dreams. 

p.s. this post was very wonderful. you should read it. :)

Giveaway Winner! (Third Try)

Okay, well I am sorry to say that no one has claimed the prize so far from my giveaway back in January/February! :(

The new winner is...

Lily!! If you don't contact me by April 7th, then I will stop choosing winners and the giveaway will not take place.


Please contact me ASAP in comment form, and I will notify Laura that you have won! :)

six pictures in lowercase

my new dress and shrug

doodles

i finally was able to :)

 i love the simplicity of this picture

a perfect glass of orange juice

a delicate touch of snow decided to visit us last week