It’s dance recital week for my sweet girl. I think she just might be the cutest cowgirl ever! And yes, I’m completely biased!
Neither she nor I are big fans of the hat – possibly because it’s several sizes too big for her head and requires lots of bobby pins to keep it secure during her dance – but, it does kind of complete the outfit. I’m so proud of my girl and the five years of dance she’s completed thus far.
To my favorite tapper/cowgirl – “Break a leg this weekend!” (but not really!)
It’s time to revisit the bubble pictures from earlier in the week. Today I’m linking up with Ashley at Ramblings and Photos for the Good-to-Wow Challenge. I chose three of my original shots to edit and share. For those that are interested, my editing recipe is below…
I like to keep my editing relatively simple and clean. My steps were basically the same for all three pictures with the exception of the first one in which I also used the clone tool to get rid of the background distractions and MCP's Eye Doctor action to make my son’s eyes pop just a little.
My Recipe:
1. Open in ACR (File-Open As-Camera Raw) and make slight adjustments to Exposure, Recovery, Blacks, Brightness and Contrast as needed
2. In PSE9, levels adjustment and High Pass Filter on Soft Light Blending Mode
3. Everyday Elements FREE Florida action … this action is one of my favorites, especially for outdoor shots … it has layers that can be turned on or off based on the look you want
Note: On the third shot, I also used MCP's Color Pop action which is part of the Complete Workflow set to give the bubbles a little more pop.
And that’s it! It literally took me longer to get this post ready than it did to edit the pics! Quick and easy!
As always, thanks for stopping by!
I had to become a stalker in order to get these shots. I was out in the yard shooting pictures of my roses when I noticed this dragonfly zipping past me. I decided to follow it around until it landed and then in order to get close enough I had to become very stealthy, sneaking closer and closer without being noticed. I think the effort was well worth it! It’s not an attractive little thing, but I love the detail – especially on its wings! Just amazing!
To see more sweet shots, visit Life with my 3boybarians. Thanks for stopping by!
Yesterday we pulled out the bubbles in hopes of capturing some great shots for the Good-to-wow challenge. After some 50+ shots and a failed attempt at creativity, I decided to share the following…
I have a specific idea for a cool shot and in my mind it looks perfect. In reality, I just couldn’t nail it yesterday. So I’m going to keep trying this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that the final shot will turn out as good as I envision it. We shall see!
Today we celebrated the last day of school! We are all ready for summer!
As I look back on this last year, what sticks out to me most is just how proud I am of how the kids handled this year. We left the one school we had known since kindergarten and embarked on new experiences at two new schools. The road hasn’t always been perfectly smooth, but what road is? Regardless of the changes the kids faced, though, they faced them well. They adapted to new surroundings and made new friends and they came out at this end having done their best. I’m proud of them for that!
Not only did they adapt well, but they learned a very valuable lesson in the process. Matthew summed it up best during a conversation he, Katelyn and I had this morning as we reflected over this past year…
Me: What is one thing God taught you during this school year?
Matthew: He taught me to trust him when his plans are different than my own.
That pretty much says it all and I don’t think I could’ve said it any better!
I chose this picture, first, as a way to encourage anyone who is struggling and, second, as a reminder to myself that no matter what circumstances life finds us in, God is ALWAYS good.
This pictures speaks to me. I love how despite the darkness of the background, there are bursts of light and sunshine in the form of tiny little, yellow flowers. This visual representation reminds me to look for God and his blessings in the midst of difficult circumstances. I really need that reminder right now.
The past month has been a difficult one for my husband and our family. A back injury has sidelined all of us and we find ourselves sitting on the sidelines while the rest of the world goes on without us. We’ve felt alone and discouraged. We’ve felt pain (his is physical; mine emotional) and we’ve felt ourselves asking, “When Lord? When is it going to get better?”
Through it all, however, there have been glimpses of sunshine. A friend helped by taking our daughter to dance one night when we couldn’t, another friend came and did some yard work for us, my parents brought us a meal and have helped with the kids when we needed to be at medical appointments, other friends had us over for dinner at their house even though we were supposed to host instead. And I know there have been prayers. Each of these acts of kindness are like those little yellow flowers. Glimpses of sunshine. Visual reminders of how God cares for us in our time of need.
I may not always feel joyful about my circumstances but I do know that there is joy for those who take refuge in Him!
