Photography - lesson learned

I've learned a lot about photography in the last few years.  Well.  Not a lot meaning I'm a great photographer (hardly!), but a lot meaning I've learned so much more than I knew before I started using my first SLR.  I love taking pictures and playing around with my camera and I enjoy trying out different settings, different lenses, and different lighting to achieve the look I want for certain pictures.  A lot of the time when I'm taking pictures of my house or projects for the blog I pay close attention to lighting, aperture, ISO, shutter speed, backgrounds, etc.  I take my time.  And I don't use the flash because heaven forbid - I've read enough camera tips to know that if I did the walls would come caving in around me and life as I know it would never be the same!  ;)  

Taking pictures of my kids is a different story.  

Sometimes I see something ordinary that happens often in our day to day life that I want to capture and remember.  Like the other day when I glanced out the back door and saw Ellie flinging Kole around like a rag doll.  My usual response is "ELLIE PUT HIM DOWN I CANNOT DEAL WITH A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM TONIGHT!"  But Kole was laughing hysterically - I mean really laughing - so I grabbed my camera instead.  

I didn't worry about lighting.  I didn't worry about aperture, I didn't worry about backgrounds and shutter speeds and ISO.  And this one time, I didn't worry about the possibility of an emergency room trip.

 I just snapped pictures not really worrying about anything at all.  

The lighting isn't great and the pictures are blurry (I was really laughing too).  

And they are some of my favorite pictures to date.  

I think the biggest lesson I've learned about photography over the years is that while the technical camera stuff is cool to learn, it really doesn't matter much.  Capturing a moment like this one that I will now have to cherish and remember forever outweighs a "perfectly planned" picture any day.  

Even if the moment captured was taken with the flash.  

(which these pictures weren't because my walls are intact and I'm still here)  

:)

Organized Laundry Room Cupboards

So I mentioned a while back that I tore apart my closet and by doing so a minor project turned into a major project.  My closet was a catch all for extra home decor and since I wanted a lot of that stuff out (to actually restore order for my clothes) I needed a place to put it all.  In an ideal situation I'd have one closet or room or area that could house all of my extra decor, but in our current house I just don't have a place big enough for it all.  I'm sure Kenny would say that isn't the problem.  He might be inclined to chime in right about now and say that the problem is that I buy too much home decor.  But he would be wrong.  The issue is clearly that I don't have a place big enough to store it.  :)  So I've chosen a few locations around my house to be a home for my home decor.  Several of these spots I've shared before (Christmas decor in my trunks, Fall/Valentine decor in my hutch) but most of it was residing in my closet.  The cupboards above my washer/dryer were such a mess - I don't think I've ever organized them.  I'm rarely in them and just never made them a priority.  I knew if I straightened things around I could come up with some more space for decor.  Plus these cupboards were on my "to organize" list for 2012 so the time had come for a mini makeover in the laundry room!    

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Ahhh... much better.  And they are holding so much more now!  The left side (seen above) is for random extras - humidifier, baby monitors, light bulbs, envelopes and candles.  The right side holds extra home decor, sewing supplies, and cleaning supplies.

Now you all know I don't sew.  Sewing is about on the same playing field as cooking for me which is why most of the time I head to the tailor and spend more to get a shirt mended than I did to buy it in the first place.  My grandma was an amazing sewer/quilter and every time I do this I feel her disapproving eyes looking down at me down from heaven saying "seriously Erin?"  They are the same eyes I used to see whenever I ate too much candy out of her candy dish or fought with my cousins even though I was the oldest and was supposed to be "the one setting the example."  I never liked those disapproving eyes.  But I sure love my grandma.  So for her sake I do own a few simple sewing supplies.  I keep thread and other odds and ends in small containers from Target.  Extra buttons that come with clothes fit nicely in mini draw string pouches.

I organize my glue guns/sticks the same way. 

And I just bought this cute little green basket (also from Target) 

to hold extra laundry items.  I also have a little brown basket I use for dryer sheets.

My laundry soap is in a big box that I keep out on the top of my dryer for easy access.  

So there you go!  These cupboards only took me 20 minutes to straighten and now not only are they holding more supplies, but they make me smile every time I open them to do some laundry.  Or to change up my decor.  Which in my house happens about as often as the laundry does.  :)  

I'm happy about this mini makeover!  And I think my grandma would be too.  Right up until I head to the tailors to get a button sewn on.  Kidding.  

Sort of.  

:)

Enjoy your day!  

A mom moment

Last Friday I experienced a "mom moment."  You know those moments you have as a mother every once in a while when you are suddenly overwhelmed with the love you feel for your children.  When you realize in an instant how much they mean to you.  For me, moments like this seem to happen at the most random times.  I was at the girls' Elementary school.  The school was having its annual Jog-a-Thon (kids all jog laps around the field and the parents donate money to the school for each lap their child runs).  I had volunteered to bring orange slices for the runners and had planned on just dropping off the oranges and leaving.  I knew I wouldn't be much help with my little shadow to chase after and I had errands to run and a long list of things I needed to get done before Addie came home from Kindergarten at noon.  But it was such a beautiful morning.  Blue skies, sunshine, and there was a smell of spring in the air.  Birds were chirping and I found myself pushing Kole's stroller onto the field thinking that maybe I'd just stay for a minute.  Just long enough to see my girls run a lap or two.  

Kole was of course busting out of his stroller within minutes so I did my usual trick to hold him off a little longer...

I gave him a peeled apple.  

It takes him a good five minutes to eat the whole thing and a peeled apple has saved me literally hundreds of times when five more minutes was all I needed.  Five more minutes in the grocery store, five more minutes in the car, five more minutes to keep him quiet in church.  And this morning - five more minutes so I could watch for my girls.

There were so many kids out on the field.  I didn't know if I'd be able to spot them so I started looking for their teachers/classmates.  I noticed that the kids started off with their class but when Addie's Kindergarten class came around I didn't see her.  I looked and looked and then suddenly there they were.  Running around the corner.  Both of my girls - holding hands.  I saw them together and it took my breath away.  They were laughing and talking and with a group of Ellie's friends.  They were excited to see me and both waved.

I snapped this picture of them running away and soon after realized I had tears streaming down my cheeks.  I quickly wiped them away - grateful I had on sunglasses.  But I couldn't help crying.  I kept thinking over and over they found each other.  In all of those kids, they found each other.  

They ran/walked 14 laps and never let go of each other's hand.  I stayed the whole morning.  Figured the "to-do's" could wait.  I cheered my girls on and when the jog-a-thon was over I told them how proud I was of them and how happy they made me.  I knew that they would go about their day and not think much about the morning they spent together running and holding hands.  I knew it was a morning I'd never forget.  

I was in such a good mood I didn't even mind staying after a bit to let Kole have his day in the sun.  A big open field - Christmas morning for my little boy.

This past week has been a typical one.  Full of carpools and doctor appointments and homework and cleaning and activities and meal time and bath time and story time and all of the times in between.  The days have been the same but I have been different.  This past week when I felt tired or overwhelmed I pictured my girls running in the sun together holding hands.

And remembered that it's all worth it.  And how blessed I truly am.  

Cords and Cards

Sharing how I organize cords and cards today!  I've shared these pictures before, but several people have asked how I organize these items so here they are again.  You can never have enough cords and cards.  That's my motto.  Actually, that's not my motto, but it sounded cool so I went with it.  

This kitchen drawer is kind of our catch all for random things.  Cords/chargers that we use every day are in a simple organizer from Target.  Then I found this little black beauty...

(also from Target)

It sits in my "catch all" drawer too.  It doesn't hold our every day cords because I didn't want to have to zip and unzip it every day, but it's a great solution for those cords you just need once in a while.  

My yellow living room hutch is another place I store cords.  One drawer is our battery/flashlight drawer and where I also store certain cords Kenny wants separated from the others - for what I don't know - if it were up to me half of these cords would be in the trash.  

I also have a bin full of larger cords in the bottom of my hutch.  Right next to the remotes we never use since we have everything programed into one remote.  Again, we are hanging on to these cords and remotes why Kenny?  :)

At least they're all in one place.  If you can't beat em' organize em'.
Now that's my real motto!

The other side of my hutch is where I store my cards. 

 I don't keep all of the cards I get (I would need another hutch!) but the cards that are really special I keep tucked away in a red box labeled "Erin's cards."  I know.  My creativity with that title is killing you right now.  Kenny also has one and it's labeled...wait...you'll never guess..."Kenny's cards."  (How do I do it, right!?)   His is full of cards that I think should be special to him.  Like all of his cards from me.  ;)  

We aslo each have our own box to fill with keepsakes from the kids.  

All of our keepsake cards have a happy home.  

Christmas cards are a different story.  I select a small handful of cards (I try to choose different families each year) and then cut the pictures out of the cards and complete a layout for our Christmas album.  Every layout looks the same.  Nothing fancy, just the pictures in a collage on red paper.  

Here are the full posts if you want more info. on my hutch organization or how I save our Christmas cards:   

Hutch Organization part 1

Hutch Organization part 2

Christmas card organization 

Hope that helps those of you who are looking to tackle cords and cards soon!  

Week is winding down!  I'm so excited for tomorrow morning because I have no where I have to be until noon.  First time that has happened for a couple of weeks and Kole and I are going to take full advantage.  I'm thinking pajamas until 11.  A little cleaning, laundry, organizing, and Yo Gabba Gabba.  DJ Lance and I love a good cleaning party.  Exciting stuff in our neck of the woods.  :)  

Enjoy your day!  

To my babe on V Day

Hi babe.  Lately we have been all about the kids.  Because well.  The kids are kinda time consuming.  So I wanted to shout it to the world!  Ok not maybe not to the world - but at least to the people reading this blog how much I REALLY like you.  

Ok.  I REALLY love you too. 

In fact, I love you more than... 

So now you know just how LOVED you truly are.  :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the mood for more LOVE-Y posts?   

Kenny & Erin - 13 years (our story)

Marriage (advice/tips from married women and our first fight)

Thick Love (last year's Valentines post and one of my favorites)

Happy Valentines Day to everyone reading!  

I hope you have a great day surrounded by those you love.

Fashion Friday... on a Monday

{ODE TO FOREVER 21}

Ok.  You all know that I buy a lot of my tops from Forever 21.  I get a lot of questions about how the clothes hold up because...well...they're cheap AND how I wash them so they don't fall apart because...well...they're cheap.  So here's my experience with Forever 21 clothes (which I've been buying forever...since I was 21.  No.  Not tired of that one yet.)  I don't do anything too special with my clothes.  I toss them in the washer with the kids' stuff on a regular cycle with regular old Tide.  I don't dry them in the dryer.  I have a small clothes rack in my laundry room that I hang my tops on to dry.  That's it.  That's all I do.  And yes.  Sometimes I find a small hole in my shirt or a button missing, but they are always easy, minor things to fix/disguise.  There has been a time or two that I have taken a Forever 21 shirt into the Tailors to mend and I've paid more for the mending than I did for the shirt!  And I'm ok with that.  I shop at Forever 21 for a reason.  

Over the years I've developed a bit of a "clothes philosophy".  I believe in spending good money on my jeans and my shoes.  Jeans because there is nothing like a good pair of jeans that really fit the way they are supposed to.  They make me feel better about myself (by tightening things that should be tighter!) and because I stay home with my kids, I'm in jeans 90% of the time.  I keep a good pair of jeans for years so they are absolutely worth spending a some money on.  I also spend good money on my shoes because like jeans, I'll keep a good pair of shoes/boots for years and I want them to be comfortable (especially since I prefer a bit of a heel).  Jeans and shoes are neutral staples.  Now tops are a totally different story.  Shirts, sweaters, blouses - I get tired of them quickly.  Styles change and each season it's fun to buy new things to wear.  Some of my Forever 21 tops have held up ok and I've had them for years, but most of them I buy and wear for a season or two and then send them to Goodwill - with no regrets since I didn't spend much on them.  I've found that shirts I've spent more on from stores like Nordstroms, Banana Republic, and Anthropology still end up not looking as good after multiple washes and have faded or torn or lost a button.  I get rid of a lot of those after a season or two also.  It happens to all clothes.  Once in a while if I see a top I just can't live without,  I'll splurge on it.  But most of the time, I head to Forever 21.  Spend 50 bucks and come home with four cute new tops to wear!  Love it.  

And speaking of cute new Forever 21 tops, how adorable is my sister-in-law in this orange blouse?   

(Please ignore the poor lighting and the dirty dishes!  Of course now you won't ignore them because I pointed them out to you.  But I still feel the need to point them out to you.  Why is that?)  

  

When my family came to visit for Ellie's baptism we hit the mall.  I sent Dayna straight to Forever 21 because they have fun stuff right now for Spring.  She bought this blouse and wore it that night to Ellie's baptism.  I was so in love with this top on her!  And those shoes!!  How perfect are they with that orange blouse!?  Shoes are from Target.  (Target - allow me to express my love for you once again.)   Of course they aren't "wear all day chasing kids shoes."  They're "wear to a one hour baptism where you will be sitting most of the time" shoes.  But man they sure look good.  Of course it also helps when you are tall and tan and drop dead gorgeous like my sister in law is.  She would look good in a tent.  I tell her all the time it's a good thing she's so nice because she would be very easy to hate.  ;)  

A better look at the blouse and it's true color.  

Here's another one of my new finds from Forever 21 that I am LOVING lately.  I can't pull off orange with my hair and coloring like Dayna can, but I love to wear yellow.  This shirt screams SPRING!  HAPPINESS!  SUNSHINE!   I walked in the store a couple of weeks ago and Kole was DONE being at the mall.  I knew I only had minutes left so I thought I'd just do a quick loop through the store and see if anything stood out to me.  And there it was.  This top hanging on a rack.  I moved to it quickly thinking "please have my size...please have my size...please have my size."  They did.  Then I tried it on quickly thinking "please fit the way I want...please fit the way I want...please fit the way I want."  It did.  And so I bought it.  And the two of us have been living happily ever after ever since.

 It's casual and comfy and looks great just plain.  

I also like it with this fun new Forever 21 belt.  (Six bucks for the belt!). 

My cute dad approves.  He thinks Forever 21 is all the rage.  And you can tell by his NCIS shirt that he is a fashion maniac.  ;)  Love you dad.  

Happy Monday everyone!

**Linking up @ The Pleated Poppy