A chubby mama.....

Lately I have been so discouraged about my weight, it just seems that I can't lose anything or I try for a little and then eat ice cream (do you know how much I love ice cream) My birthday is coming up in a few short days and once again I am hating how I look and feel. So I am going to do something about it I joined The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants challenge. My goal is for my 35th birthday next year, to be the happy about me, to have energy to run and play with my kids, to not have a muffin top when I wear jeans, to not have my favorite pair of pants be yoga pants (though they are so comfortable)and not to dread vacation and my bathing suit. I need to take time out for me, I only get one life and hating how I look and feel is not a way to live.

So please join me on this journey, I need all the encouragement I can get. Since I am a photographer-wannabe I will include pictures throughout my journey to a fit and healthy me. Wednesdays are weigh-in days, so on Wednesday, I will blog about my week, trials and accomplishments, and weight loss. Maybe even some healthy recipes I stumble upon.

here's to getting fit one day at time,
hugs *a*

I ♥ Faces - Fix it Friday

Here is the original picture posted up at I ♥ Faces
Isn't she just a doll...

Here's my edit, I working in PS.

My Steps....
I ran it through Noiseware
defog
curves
adjusted the levels
and then converted it to BW and adjust the contrast and brightness, till I liked it.

If you want to see more fix-it's on this photo go check out I ♥ Faces.

*a*

Rain, Rain....

You know the song, but there is something about spring rains that I love, maybe that everything is green and after a rain the outdoors just seem so refreshing. Or the sound of the rain hitting the roof, peaceful. Last evening we had a thunder storm, after the storm past it was just so beautiful outside I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.

See what I mean, refreshing, there is no other word to describe it.



Maybe a little singing in the rain too, she was dancing around alittle, but of course I didn't have my camera ready. This was all taken in front our house. We decided to go out back and this is what we saw....
Breath-taking!!!! It's so wonderful to see God's beauty right out your back door!!!

hugs
*a*

I ♥ Faces - Silhouettes

This week at I ♥ Faces the focus is silhouettes. I have tried for the last week to get a decent shot, but I haven't had much luck. My problem is that we live in the mountains, and it's really hard to get on the same plain as the sun. Today I was going to try to one with a window, but it rained, now I am not going to complain about the rain because we really need it. So here is my shoot, not the greatest of silhouettes, but it will have to do.

In two weeks we are headed to the beach so hopefully I will get some good silhouette shoots of my family. Make sure you go check out I ♥ Faces for some awesome shoots.

out for now
*a*

A camping we did go...

Our first trip of the season, and it went pretty well. Last year we only went on one trip, because camping was not Bitsy girl's thing. This year, though, she did pretty well, so I do believe more trips will be in our future this summer, which everyone is really excited about.

Our Memorial Day tradition is to go camping with my parents, it is really nice to spend a few days with them and the kids had a blast.


We took the bikes, so they had fun riding all around...

and then they played a little whiffle ball

But it wasn't all fun and games, daddy had to do a little studying


and no camping trip would be complete, without playing in the dirt with your bestest buddy in the whole wide world

then after a full day of playing and getting filthy, a basin bath was in order

it was also really nice to cuddle with meemaw
Bitsy girl was just eating up all the attention, but I am pretty sure Meemaw was lovin it too.

Now if you think I wasn't there, you are sadly mistaken, no I have no actual pictures of myself due to fact that I am the official picture taker, but I did manage to get in one picture.
Look closely in my dad's glasses, see that shilloutte, yep that's me. I was on a family camping trip after all.

After all that fun, food, and family it was time to pack up and go home. Can't wait till next year....

hugs
*a*

Week 19 - "Favorite Photo Ever!"

This week at I ♥ Faces it's more of a contest. We are supposed to pick our favorite pictures. Well I have only had my camera for a little over 2 months and the whole month of March I was sick so I don't have much to choose from. While I was purusing my photos I found this one of Big B that I love, it's so him.


Go check out all the other fabulous entries over at I ♥ Faces .


I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb book photo contest. If chosen, I grant I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites.

I do think it's impossible...

I have been trying since December to get a good shot of my 4 kids together. I want to make a photo wall in my family room. I've seen a few ideas I like, but we'll talk about the photo wall at a later date, right now the problem at hand, my lovely children. They will not cooperate, it's not so much the older ones, it's the itty bitty one, that girl runs when she sees a camera. When she is by herself, I can usually get some shots, by calling her name, asking her to show me her teeth, or making silly noises. Usually half the shots are out of focus, but I can get 3 or 4 decent ones.

Here's take 1:

I think Miss Pie is going to pull Bitsy arms right out and yes that big blur is my darling 18 month old, she wanted to run.

Now take 2:

Does she look happy??? Also everything is horrible, their skin is blown, no one looks happy. Arghhhhh!!!!!!!

I am not throwing in the towel, I will keep trying until I have the perfect shot. I'll keep ya all updated.

Oh by the way, my crafty self must have read my letter, because she showed up this weekend and we have been busy, we redecorated and painted my kitchen, altered an old picture from the thrift store, and made Bitsy a quilt and it's only Wednesday. I'll upload pictures tomorrow.

hugs
*a*

P.S. Please be praying for the The Freeman family their little baby Kayliegh passed away on May 11 and they need all the love and support right now. I encourage you to go read their story, it is very touching.

I ♥ Faces - Laughter

This week at I ♥ Faces the photo challenge is Laughter. As I was looking through my pictures I found one of Bitsy girl that I took last week, she was blowing on a ball and making silly noises and thought this was the most hilarous thing ever. Oh to be 18 months and be so easily entertained.

Make sure you go and check out all the other fabulous photos of people laughing.

hugs
*a*

Contructive Feedback

Today at I ♥ Faces is Contructive Feedback Friday, I have been debating if I wanted to upload a problem photo, well as you can see I decided to go for it. I am never going to get any better if I don't know what I am doing wrong and hopefully be able to do better shots in camera instead of spending more time in photoshop. Though I do love my photoshop.

This is a picture I took of Big B yesterday.

Nikon D60, 1/100, F5.6, ISO Auto (I have no clue why I had this on auto because I was shooting in manual), 55mm

I know this shot is really under-exposed and red. I had a red shirt on, so I don't know if it's a color cast from my shirt.

My Fix


I did curves adjustment, a levels adjustment, selective color, and sharpening but now I think it's a tad yellow, I do love his eyes though.

Okay guys let me have it, I would love to know your thoughts. Thank you in advance!!! By the way I am using PS7 to do my editing. (I know very old school)

Looking to get better,
*a*

I LOVE Spring!!!!

There is just something about spring that I love so much. It might be the fact that we can finally go outside after months of being cooped up in the house and my kids driving me bonkers, or it might be all the beautiful blossoms on the trees
and our yard coming to life after a long white winter. Me and Bitsy girl did a yard walk the other day and looked at all the pretty flowers and of course I couldn't resist taking some pictures.

We saw this....

and got a close-up (I think I need a macro lens)

We thought these were pretty too...

then we couldn't resist smelling them.....

So go outside and take some pictures.....

hugs
*a*

A Letter to my Crafty Self

Dear Crafty Self,

We had a such a good relationship before Christmas, we whipped up all sorts of projects from scrapbooking, sewing to jewelery making. We laughed and cried when some of our projects didn't quite work out. But all in all we had a good time and made some cute stuff. As the holiday's rolled around we departed ways and promised as soon as things settled down we would get together and craft. Here it is May, and you haven't come back, all my crafty stuff sits idle as I wait for your return. Please come back soon, I have a ton of material and some great tutorials just screaming for us to make something cute.

Your lonely friend,
Alesha

Hats and My Girl

I just found this great website I ♥ Faces , and since I love photography it's right up my alley. This week their photo challenge is hats, so I decided to participate. Here's my girl wearing a hat.


Go here check out all the other entries, they are really fabulous.

hugs
*a*