Monday, January 31, 2011

Dream Little One

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.
~Edgar Allan Poe

slumber

Sunday, January 30, 2011

52 Weeks of Me - Week 5 {Daily Activity}

This weeks theme was daily activity. I thought of the million things I do and couldn't decide on which one I wanted to capture. I then realized that there is one activity that I participate in everyday without fail, even on the weekend.
My boys love to snuggle first thing in the morning, especially Francesco. We always sit in the chair and take a few minute to wake up and snuggle. I love how their hair is all a strew and sticking up and their body's are still warm from being under the covers all night. I know this activity will come to an end one day so I am getting it while I can.
daily

Next weeks theme is: At Arms Length
That should be fun and easy. Don't forget that you can jump in an join at any time. We have the Flickr pool as well for those who either don't have a blog or don't wish to post to their blog.

I also would love to hear if anyone has any suggestions for themes. We have the theme's we have come up with so far listed over on the Flickr pool.



Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday Lights: Surrendering to Simplicity

As Tracey said things have felt complicated lately. The resent rash of snow storms has helped me to slow down and really enjoy the quiet stillness that it brings.
When life gets out of hand it's nice to stop and focus on the moment at hand.
a little snow

I can remember being outside taking these photos and it was so quiet since no cars were on the road, no buses picking up children, no trash being pick up. The quiet of a snow storm is amazing.
a little rain

The memory of these photo's illustrate the emotional connection I had to this event, the simplicity of the snow, brought quiet to my day.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

TUT-Stacked

Jen I are following along with the ladies over at Megan's and Melody's and going with the theme "stacked" this week. I love Jen's take on the theme, I so should have gathered the many toys a strew about my house and stacked them. I opted for the obvious stacks in my life being the mounds of laundry I encounter everyyyyyyyyyy weekend. It just seemed appropriate for this theme.

All Stacked Up

Please head over and check out with the other ladies are stacking up for today:

Hosted by Megan and Hip Momma

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Musing

I was honored to be asked by the talented Tammy Lee Bradley to write a post about "what inspires me" to be featured over at Mortal Muses. Please swing on by and check it out.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Mass

I decided to start taking Francesco to mass with me on Sunday's. I know he is not sure what it's all about but he knows what a prayer is an the sign of the cross (it's a start).

MASS-4

I was really proud of how well he behaved even though he was done with the novelty of it by the time the priest was saying the gospel. What cracked me up was his willingness to sign along even though he didn't know the words. He even held the missal and followed along with the readings.

Before mass started I let him take a few shot with the camera. I love that they are from his point of view.
MASS

This one is my favorite:
MASS-3

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Week 4 - Focus on Unusual Elements

This week theme was not easy for me and I can imagine not easy for others. I did like it though because it forced me to think outside the box. I tried a few other things that I didn't like as much as this happy accident of actually capturing myself in the eye of my baby. I just love it.

unusual-2

Next week theme: Daily Activities
Show us your daily life, with you in it of course. I am really looking forward to seeing others photo's with this theme (actually I look forward to everyone photo's each week).



I am off to go see what others have come up with, won't you join me? Flickr Group

Friday, January 21, 2011

This one

is going to give me a run for my money!

mosaicd58ed17e897bb8734640161973ee2fa7cfd3cbe7

Here is how he came to eating his cereal with a " serving spoon". As I was getting their breakfast on the table this morning, Nicolo finds a spoon on the floor (not sure why one was on the floor...haha). I attempted to give him a clean one from the dishwasher as I took the dirty one out of his hand. He threw a fit, so I told him if he wanted to have a fit he could go in the other room. I laid the clean spoon on the table and walked away. He preceded to take the clean spoon off the table and throw it in the dishwasher. Then I tried to give him back the dirty spoon from the sink (which I secretly swapped with a clean spoon to try an appease him). He said, "NO!", so I told him to just get whatever spoon he wanted. He went to the dishwasher and found the biggest spoon we owned. Then he ate his whole bowl of cereal with said spoon and spilled a good bit of it down the front of him.

This one is definitely going to give me a run for my money.

This is what Francesco thought of the whole ordeal.

this one

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Team Up Thursday - Black & White

Jen and I are following along this year with the themes and this week it was black & white. My favorite thing about black and white is how the lack of color can really draw you into the details. Take Jen's photo, the carved church, the details in the carving really stand out. In my photo I think the lack of color draws you to the line of trees in the background which was really my focus of the photo anyway.

B&W

I try converting photo's to black and white quite often and sometime it works and sometimes it doesn't. Some photos just scream for it and other are better off left alone. I think Jen and I really nailed it this week (even if I am a little bias).

For more great team ups head on over to:

Hosted by Megan and Hip Momma

Monday, January 17, 2011

What I would tell you

Dear Carla,

What I would tell you if I only knew the words: (about being a first time mom)

  • You will love him with parts of your heart you never knew existed.
  • You will be in total disbelief that you actually made something so perfect.
  • Watching him sleep will consume hours of your time.
  • The first time he smiles your heart will swell, well beyond it's normal capacity.
  • You will spend hours trying to make him laugh and then do it all over again, and again, and again.
  • You will realize that you are not the same person anymore, but now his mother.
  • Being his mother will be both the most rewarding and the most challenging career you will ever have.
  • You will cry, a lot, but they will mainly be tears of joy.
  • He will always be listening even when you think he isn't.
  • You will dig deeper than you ever needed for patience you never knew you had.
  • He will make you proud even when you are not there.
  • Your heart will ache to know he will one day grow up.
  • He will know you will always love him!
XOXO
Cara

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Week 3 - Focus On The Eye's

The theme that Jessie and I picked for this week was Focus on the Eye's.
I just could not decide this week what I wanted to do. I did a color photo, but I looked mad in it. I did a muted color photo, I looked like a vampire from the Twilight Series. I settled on the B&W one, I am already pasty white so this isn't to much of stretch (LOL)!

week3-2

Next weeks theme is: Focus on Unusual Elements
When I was searching for prompts I thought this sounded really interesting, the explination that went along with it was: Instead of taking a photo of yourself in a traditional way, find something of interest around you, and place yourself in the background.

Almost forgot you can also go to the Flickr Group and add a photo. Plus it is never to late to join in on the fun!

Colleen asked me what the other photo's looked like so I thought I would post them as well.
self_eyes1 eyes



Monday, January 10, 2011

Progress

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
~ George Bernard Shaw
sledding-31
Just thought I would share my new favorite quote...and as always a picture. I like how the snow really changes the look of these weeds. Now they look like little cotton balls.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Week 2 - Reflective Surfaces

This was hard, I had a few ideas but none worked out like I wanted. I also haven't learned the ins and outs of my camera so that was also frustrating. Oh, and why is it the white balance in bathrooms is so off?

reflection3

Next weeks theme is: Focus on the Eyes

So far the response to join in on this adventure has been so much more than I ever exspected and I am so thrill by it. It also great to see all you beautiful ladies!

Don't forget you can also ad your photo to the Flickr Pool and visit Jessie my lovely co-host and grab the cute button she made!




Saturday, January 8, 2011

Friday, January 7, 2011

They know who we were...

Now that I am on the brink of registering my oldest for Kindergarten I think about him as a infant a lot. It feels like it's just way to soon, it wasn't suppose to happen so fast, this growing into a boy. He promised me numerous times that he wouldn't grow up. It feels like days ago I brought him home and held him in my arms. I would just sit there and stare at him for hours, I realized that I would never be the same person again, but now I was his mother.
when he was new
I read a guest post over at kelly rae roberts done by the amazing Katherine Center, its a letter she wrote to Kelly about why we hang on to our babies things. Something I think every mother can relate to, you know there are reasons you hang onto those thing but sometimes can't put the words to it, well Katherine did.

"You will save them as keepsakes, as tactile reminders of the baby that used to fill your arms every waking second. They will feel as precious to you as that soft skin itself."


"That’s why baby things become so precious. They know who we were in our tenderest moments."

I am coming to the acceptance that he will go grow up but I am absolutely hanging on those baby items. They will stand as reminders of who he and I were at those moments together. I hope that as he and I grow and go on this journey together he will come to know what he did for me.
Like Katherine said, "You will have become someone else—someone greater than yourself. Someone wiser, nobler, and infinitely more brave."
feet
Thank You Francesco.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Team Up Thursday - New

Jen and I are going to go along with the wonderful ladies over at Megan's and Melody's for Team Up Thursday again this year. We are going to follow along with their great themes this year as well. So this week theme was NEW and I could not resist taking a shot of my NEW favorite Christmas present from the sweetest and not to mention best looking Santa in town!

That' my new baby, with my 50 mm on it(my favorite lens). I love it and need to learn how to use it. You would think going from one Nikon to another would be easy...NOT! It really strange because I could almost change settings on my D80 with my eyes closed, and I made certain buttons do certain things and now I have to learn how to make this camera do these thing. I am definitely willing to learn.
New

I love the angle of Jen's and the interpretation of the theme. What is is newer than the New Year?


Hosted by Megan and Hip Momma

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Cookies With Dad

I think this is going to become a little tradition of my boys. This is the second year in a row that Michael decided to bake cookies (Chocolate Chip of course) with the boys. This is the man who can not cook according to him. Well, to be honest, he can't, I had to intervene twice to remind him of some "cookies 101" rules (like you have to cream the butter with the sugar, not add cream to the butter and the sugar). Other than that they did the rest on their own, and yes, they made that mess just fine without my help.
cookies with dad
I was okay with the mess, my boys had a blast and Francesco and Nicolo got to give the Christmas Gift from Parents a whirl. All the utensil and stuff (except the Kitchen Aid Mixer) are from a company call "Curious Chef". They are plastic and have nice handles for little hands, plus the apron, hat and oven mittens are so cute. He even used one of the knives to cut an apple the other day and it worked just fine (I of course supervise even with plastic knives). I think I see him taken over dinner duty for me in the future....ahhhhhhh wouldn't that be nice!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Best Shot Monday - Good-Bye

I almost couldn't believe it when I read that Tracey was closing the chapter on Best Shot Monday. I can understand that all things come to an end but I will truly miss it. I may have not participated every Monday but I did most. It was a great way for me to sift through the photo's I had taken an reflect on the week behind. Some of my photo's were just snapshots and some really spoke to me. Tracey has always been such and inspiration to me that I would strive to take something that really captured the moment just as she always does.

I know that Tracey has many more endeavors that I will be reading about and hope to be part of. I have already been fortunate to participate in some of her classes at Big Picture Classes. Shutter Sisters is a staple for me and her "i am enough" page inspires me daily.

So in saying Good-Bye to Best Shot Monday, I leave you with my first entry into the BSM world:
June 2, 2008
1st BSM

and my last:
January 3, 2011
ciccio_bsm1

bsm

Sunday, January 2, 2011

52 Weeks of Me - Week 1 {Traditional}

So here is goes. Jessie @ The Lucas Zoo and I are hosting a little (hahaha) project called 52 Weeks of Me.
My objectives are to try and be creative, learn to use my camera and maybe even learn a few things about myself. I turn the camera on everyone I meet practically and learn a lot about people by the photos I take. I hope to do the same with myself.
I also read what Kimberely @ Altering Life wrote this morning and realized the same thing. My boys will look back and see their whole childhood documented in pictures but hardly a photo of me.
I will say that just taking a traditional, sit there and look at the camera picture was really hard. It's was hard to look "natural" and not so forced.

Week1_traditional

I almost forgot, the theme for next week will be Reflective Surfaces.

So here is to a great new year and a journey that I intend to complete. Hope you will joins us.

Don't forget you can also put your photo's on the Flickr Group and Jessie has the Mister Linky which I will try and figure out soon (lol).