Sleepy Heads

Breakfast

So I close to never use my external flash, especially since I got my new camera.  I was setting up this shot, and while I love a glowing, back lit shot...It was early morning and I just did not have enough front light to balance the strong back light...and moving Levi was not an option.   The first shot was just too muddy. 

 SO I thought, hey I will bust out Mr. Flash.  It was too much for my taste at first.  (Yes I know he is not in focus, but I was testing the intensity of the flash.)

So I then turn my flash compensation (Is that what it is called?)  all the way down so I just got a tiny hit of fill light....And I actually liked it.  (I know it would have been better to bounce off the wall and not the ceiling, but my dining walls are green and I do not want to deal with the green color cast.)  

Peony

Isn't it amazing how one day they are a small ball and then the next day, they burst into a huge gorgeous bloom?!  I love peonies!!! I am really enjoying watching all the plants in my yard grow, it really is fascinating.

PS My hubby made this awesome flower holder out of wood from our garage for Mother's Day.  How awesome is he?  I love it!

Our House...

We just bought a house! Well okay…a couple months ago.  This is why I have not posted much.  With warm weather and a house to get comfy, I spend very little time online…which I think is a good thing!  Anyways, I wanted to share the house on the blog too even though I already shared on Facebook.  Our friends stopped by while in town to see the house before we moved in or started painting and I got to play with his D600 full frame camera with an extra wide angle lens on it.  Drool.  I took advantage to get super wide shots of the new house. You are able to get a better feel for the space with the wide angles.  

 We are feeling so lucky with this house.  It is pretty much already all updated to our tastes.  We went into buying a house with expectations of possibly needing to redo kitchens, bathrooms, etc.  We literally looked at a really neat house listed $10,000 less than ours that needed completely renovated.  I am so excited that we get to instead spend our time and energy on the more fun things like furniture, artwork, décor, etc.  Our street is awesome too, and we have wonderful neighbors!

It is so fun to have our own house to do with as we wish.  I loooove decorating and such.  When I was a little girl I used to sit on my Grandma’s couch, pen in hand, perusing through the JC Penney’s and Sears catalogs circling all the furniture and décor for my imaginary house.  I also pretty much painted my entire house at the age of 13 too. Haha.  (I have learned a lot since then.)

Super wide angle fun!  As you look at these, know that super wide angles can be used to make its subjects appear larger than they actually are and to add distortion.  For example, this photo was taken in a fairly small corner.

So here is our house.  Enjoy my beautiful models!  

(Last one courtesy Casey Trammel.)

This is my list of things I hope to do in the near future.  This is mostly just things that would stay with the house.  So I have other plans for décor and furniture too…  (That list is much longer.) Really the list is pretty short and manageable compared to what it could be.

• ·         Replace living room light fixtures beside rectangle window.
• ·         Remove living room light fixture in middle of wall.
• ·         Have electrician fix wiring issues, install outlet in Levi’s room, and install light in bedroom closet.
• ·         Clean out garage and basement.
• ·         Install crown molding in dining room and nursery.
• ·         Get mirrors in all the bathrooms.
• ·         Revive all the wood trim.  (It is in good shape, but needs a little love.)
• ·         Lay stone trim outdoors along flower gardens.
• ·         Create 4 all season planters for porch and deck.
• ·         Fill in patchy grass lawn.
• ·         Plant vegetable garden.
• ·         Revamp flower beds, add shrubs, etc.
• ·         Place new stepping stones in back garden. 
• ·         Remove soap dispenser in kitchen.
• ·         Install shelves and replace light in laundry closet.
• ·         Add hanging rod and shelf to bedroom closet.
• ·         Paint pretty much every room including upstairs trim, doors, and closets (excluding the basement).
• ·         Paint sliding door in kitchen, upstairs bathroom vanity, back and side doors, and garage door.
• ·         Spray paint all gold door hardware.
• ·         Install light in bedroom closet and electrical outlets in our room and Levi’s room.
• ·         Turn under stair basement closet into playhouse.

I cannot wait to share photos as we get rooms furnished and decorated. I have our main floor bathroom that there are no photos of almost completely done!  Smallest room in the house. Haha.  

Mommy's Little Helper