Of Shadowy Things

Raquel and Lucia are hosting a photography contest (which ends tomorrow!) on shadows and silhouettes. I thought this sounded like a pretty creative idea, so I looked through my archives until I finally found two photos I liked. I had to go pretty far back, too: this first one is from 2010, and the second one is from 2007.

My shadow on the deck, as I'm holding a rose.

Contemplating the world... or perhaps what shell to pick up next.

Winter Wanderings

There are some pictures you just never get around to sharing until it's really past the proper time.

Take this one, for example.

My cat hates to see the Christmas tree go, because he absolutely loves sleeping under it. So when we took it down the first week of January, this was his expression all day. Silly kitty. ;)

And these:

My brothers and I have a tradition to make paper snowflakes and suspend them from our living room ceiling each winter. We were spraying some with a fixative to make them more stiff, and I liked the way the design was left behind.

Like my blue fingertips? My brother and I made gingerbread cookies, and we decided to see what food coloring and sugar would be like as a topping. It worked moderately well... but left an interesting tint on our fingers. ;)

One day I pulled out the cord to charge my mp3 player... and this was the shape it was in:

Even my seashells are photogenic in wintertime:

And last, but not least, two random outdoor winter pictures that I simply love.

Thus wraps up my random winter wanderings! Tune in next time to hear and see more about a certain ice storm that encrusted my world last week. Though the walking was treacherous, the world was breathtakingly beautiful. :)

This is What Inspires Me

Olive Tree is having a photography contest with the theme of inspiration. Here are my two entries:

This picture inspires me because it reminds me of God's care for us. The care with which my brother is holding the little bird, the trust in the bird's eye... this is a perfect example of God's care for me. I know I need not fear, since my life is held secure in God's hands. He's always got me, even when I want to struggle and try to fly on my own. I just have to trust Him.

I love this picture. It reminds me of the verse from Hebrews "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

This is my inspiration. As long as I fix my eyes on Jesus, I am inspired beyond belief. Even if all the rest of my life is painted in shades of gray, fixing my eyes on Jesus gives everything new life and color.

Sunlight and Water

It has been sticky, sweaty, boiling hot this summer, so every chance we get, we go to the lake!

cooling our feet in the water

 


The lake has a big tower at the end of the dock for people to jump off. There's three levels... and the third level is even higher than a high dive. I've only gone off 1st and 2nd, but my brothers jump off 3rd all the time. :)

I was a bit disappointed not to get him jumping - but the awesomeness of the splash made up for it. :)

On our last outing we also saw a family of swans!

Daddy checking the place out

Mommy coming with the babies

One big, happy family

I just can't get over how pretty the sunlight is on the water.

Ah, such peace. :)

Me and My Kitty

It's been beautiful outside these past few weeks. Summer has finally hit, and the sunshine is wonderful. :)

My brother and I were outside, taking pictures for my post on my main blog Vividry, and surprisingly, there were a number of good ones. I don't take any credit for these pictures - all credit goes to him. (I did put my watermark on them, just so no one will steal them.) He is a surprisingly good photographer, and a wonderful brother. :) So here the pictures are, for your enjoyment!

All credit for these images goes to my brother, "Eagle", and were taken by him with his camera.

*click click click*

Interesting angle on this one... but I think I like it. :)

Isn't my brother creative?

contemplative

Siblings really are a gift from the Lord, and I am so glad I have such a sweet and creative brother. Doesn't he take wonderful pictures?

Newness!

Well, a number of things are new around here. First of all, I changed the layout and colors of this blog. What do you think? Do you like it? I'm not that big of a fan of black, and I think brown feels more "homey" to me.

Also, I figured out how to have larger pictures on here! Now you can really see all the detail in those beautiful flowers. ;)

And last, but not least, I sometimes find newness just in the everyday things around me.

My desk

A seashell we picked up on the beach in Florida on year

My brother, just waiting on the stairway...