Embrace the Camera... Nailed It

It's been a few weeks since I've done an ETC post. But there for a little while, I was on a roll. Taking photos of myself with the kids left and right. It's not always easy, you know, to get that shot you're looking for. But, I'm happy to say, I pretty much always manage to completely nail it.

As evidenced by the following montage of excellent ETC efforts.



Awesome.

these blog book thingies

These pictures have nothing to do with the words. They're just shots I've had in a folder, waiting to get made all big and pretty on the blog. My sister and her children were over one morning when it was too hot to be outside without water, but the pool wasn't open for the day, yet. There are a whole lotta children in the yard when they come over.

I love it!



So, the blog. I told you a little bit ago that I was thinking of ditching Home For The Better and just starting something new. I appreciated your comments, and I've been continuing to think about it.



I think I am going to go ahead and get a blog book made. But, I don't necessarily want all the posts in the book. I don't need a three year old post about cottage style making its way into my book... and I don't really want to pay to have that post in there, either.



So, do you know? Can you choose to leave posts out when you get your blog printed out into a book? Or is that just a big pain in the neck... choosing which posts to leave in and which to take out?



If I can't easily choose to leave some posts out of the book, I'm going to have to do a little deleting here on the blog. Nothing overly dramatic... all the "before and afters" of our actual home will stay. But, some of my thoughts about design... some of the posts that were just me working through our style... those will likely go.



And, I'm thinking I need to rework the house tour. Again, nothing dramatic. But, I'm feeling like I need to have fewer pictures of each room. After I posted the tour week, I started feeling funny about security issues. I've been vigilant about keeping our specific city under wraps. But, anyone can slip up. I just would feel better if every last square inch wasn't out there. I think I made a mistake doing that in the first place. So, if you're dying to lock every nook and cranny of some room into your mind's eye, please do so now. I'm not sure when I'll start taking photos out.



Beyond those changes, I think I'm just keeping the blog as is.

No new blog at this point.



There will still be house related posts. I'll still share the little bits of progress we're making. I'm sure there will be posts with BIG progress from time to time, too. Like, when we have someone else do the work for us. Ha.



But, honestly, most of the posts are probably going to be random pictures of our days. And my thoughts... about this house, about homemaking, about family, about striving for an eternal perspective... to honor Christ Jesus in all things.



I've lost subscribers. I'm sure they were here for the house stuff. That is, after all, why I was here at first, too. So, I get that. If you want to read house blogs and you just keep seeing the same baby over and over again... you're not going to stick around. Totally get it.

Except, I mean, why wouldn't you want to see this baby over and over again? :)



And this one? This is my nibling, Tank. He's hugemongous. Not even 4 months old, yet, and pretty much as big as Baby. Who is almost 10 months. Huge.



So, that's the scoop on the blog. Not too much change, but a little bit.



Do your children do this? Pick each other's ears? Probably not.

Now. One last thing. I'm turning off the anonymous option. I'm still going to keep the comment box so you don't have to enter a code deal. Amazingly, Blogger has blocked out all the nasty spam that has come through the anonymous option, but it still shows up in my email inbox as a new comment. So, I still see it even if none of you have. I thought maybe the anonymous option would get more of you to comment now and then. Nope. Just randoms being creepy.

But, can you tell me something? Why is that some blogs just really seem to invite comments, and others just don't? Like Shauna... I cannot for the life of me figure out why Shauna doesn't have waaaaaay more comments than she does. She has such a beautiful blog, and her posts are so solid. But, even I get to the end of a post, and I'm just not sure I have anything to say. So, I don't comment. Boo me!

I did leave a comment yesterday, though, just because I thought... Phooey. This woman is blogging some good stuff! I need to let her know that I really like what she posts. So I did. And my comment was lame. But, it was there... I didn't ignore her.

So, seriously. I haven't been watching my numbers a lot, but I know enough to realize that about 2% of you are commenting. Do I just not seem friendly? I'M FRIENDLY, people!!! ha ha. So, come on already. Be my blog friend and pipe up.

And let me know why my blog just isn't a comment-y blog.

bedroom 4 reveal! (wait - update? not sure?)

I honestly don't know what to call this post. It's kind of the Bedroom 4 reveal. But, then again, it's kind of... not.



These first few pictures were taken in mid-May. The walls and all the trim were done. But, we can't really say the first layer was complete at this point, because the doors weren't painted, yet.

Actually, the doors still aren't painted.



Initially, SweetP and Shug were all motivated to wait until the room was 100% complete before they moved in. But, we kept taking our sweet old time, and they kept waiting. Finally, they just wanted in there. Doors or no doors.





For a little while before they moved in, we had the room set up like this. We could use it for naptime here and there... they liked the feeling of camping out in an almost empty room.



I really, really loved that scrap quilt with the aqua paint. If I were decorating this room on my own, it would definitely be on the bed. But, alas, the girls did not feel the same way about the quilt, and it's not in there anymore.



But, didn't it look great while it lasted?



Now the girls have a bunkbed all set up. We haven't put the permanent bedding on... we're waiting to buy a few more things. So, as of today, the room is pretty much completely white and aqua. With no doors.



But, I'm calling it. This is pretty much done. The doors and the overhead lighting will come along later this summer, and then we'll be all official.

And we'll start adding in color and all kinds of fun layering stuff around August/September.

But, I'm planning on doing a little more in Punkin and Little Dude's room first... and getting started on the nursery. At almost 10 months old, Baby's about to finally move out of the master bedroom.

My little goal is to get the kids' bedrooms decorated up this summer.

And get the doors for this bedroom painted, already.

baby peas

Hey, what up?!



It's too late for me to be posting photos. I mean, really. But, I've been wanting to share these of Baby for weeks. Weeks!



One of the tough things about blogging lately is that I've been taking a bazillion and one shots, and then I get behind editing. Then I take more pictures, and get more backed up. When I finally get some time to sort through all of them here on the laptop, I'm editing instead of posting. But, then I never get to see them here. And, besides actually having them printed, this is by far my favorite place to share them.



So, it's a bummer when they just sit in my file folders.

Especially when they're this stunning.



Right?

Many moons ago, I told you Baby wasn't really the best at solids. It took her quite a while to warm up to the idea, really.

These photos are from April. When I introduced peas.



Peas were not a hit.

Obviously.

But, oh my word. Such cuteness.



She's doing much better now, by the way. Still not a fan of the peas. But much better.







So, I just had to share. Even though I need to be in bed. Like, 10 minutes ago already.

Peas out! (and good night).

june: 10 on 10

I took my ten on ten this month! Wootie woot! I'm not getting it posted until 2 full days after the fact, but I will woot nonetheless.

This was a fun one, because we headed up north to Extremely Rural Ohio to visit Sam's grandma after church. I love Grandma so dearly (she'll be 94 this summer!). And her farm is almost as wonderful as she is. It's a bit of a drive, so we don't get up there all the time, but it's always so good when we do.

Here's a recap of the day in pictures. 10 photos. 10 consecutive hours. We started out at 12:45pm.


Such a great day.