Window Light

This past weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a workshop by Shelley Paulson.  She is an amazing photographer and an amazing person!  She shared so much insight and knowledge, and she also shared her heart for the Lord!  I was inspired by her to practice photography by taking a picture a day for a year.  Wow!  I pray I can be diligent for that long!!!  Today my sweet children were gracious enough to let me practice portraits in window light, and here are my results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t that a hoot!!  I am definately not one of those people who will be convinced that there is no gender difference between little girls and little boys.  I think these pictures prove it! 🙂

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

Disclaimer:  This was just an exercise for my benefit.  I am not claiming to be an expert or to even come close to one when it comes to photography!!!

Winter Days

I know this only my third post in nearly a year, and I’m sure this poor little blog thought I forgot all about it!  But I made up my mind today that I would post SOMETHING!  So here’s what my two little ones have been up to in January and February. 

Delectalbe cupcakes that Alissa made for her craft in preschool (at home w/ Mrs. Erickson!)

 

Logan Paul actually stood still for a picture!

 

Alissa was being a "stylist" and is posing beside the "wedding girl"!

 

Posing again!!

 

It was so warm on Saturday that the kids put on their swim suits and played in the sprinkler!

 

Yes, it really is February!

 

All that running makes them thirsty!

 

This is how Alissa spent Valentine's Day - hunting pheasants with the Crauthers!

 

Three very happy hunters returning from the kill!

 

Lance and Alissa shot 2 pheasants!!

 

Have to pose with Ian, too - 'cause he is cool!!

 

Taking a pretend ride on the 4-wheeler at Aunt Sandra's!

 

No we aren't at the golf course! The skies cleared yesterday and Alissa played with her Daddy's cattle flag at the barn!

 

Logan's "happy face!"

 

This was the beautiful view to the east from the barn yesterday evening!

Summer Fun

Thanks to a little nudging, I am taking the time to post a few pictures of the kids.  They are staying busy, or should I say they are keeping me busy!!  They have been swimming, and to the fair in Merced, and of course, riding with Dad!

Alissa swimming at the Hayward

 

Wow that water feels good!!

 

Entertaining themselves at the fair - with tent stakes!!

 

Weeeee! Who is having more fun, Dad or Alissa?

 

Oh my, I am so glad she is 4 and not 16!!!

 

Logan is ALWAYS on the go!

 

Alissa and her new best friend, Buddy, looking for cow tracks, and coyotes, and mountain lions, and ...

California

Wow, a blog post!!  It has been a while to say the least, but I am finally back on the internet.  I am sure that most of you know that we moved to California at the first of the year.  Packing my entire house to move half way across the country is not something I recommend doing at Christmas, but I had lots of help from family and friends.  It took three full days of driving for our caravan of 3 trucks and trailers and 1 car to arrive at our destination, so needless to say the kids weren’t the only ones asking, “Are we there yet?”

We came out here anticipating slapping a little bit of paint on the ranch house and moving in with in a few weeks but it has turned out to be a much bigger project than that.  It’s now March and we are just getting our plans drawn for the remodel of the 900 sq. ft. home and the much-needed addition.  I am praying for patience, but I honestly think it will be closer to September before we are able to move to the ranch and get settled in our new home.  In the mean time, Dan’s Grandpa has a home with a gorgeous lake view that we are able to live in for now, so we are grateful!

We really felt like God was leading us to California although it was an agonizing decision.  Now that we are here, we know that this is where we are supposed to be.  We are certainly enjoying the beautiful weather and green grass and flowers (in March!!).  I am sitting outside wearing a t-shirt right now as I type (yippee!).  The kids love being outside these days, especially Logan, so they are loving it, too!  We miss everyone in Colorado and Texas, so if any of y’all need a west coast vacation, please call me!!!

Kids playing at Grandpa Carp's

 

Alissa with her Christmas puppy, Holly!

 

Princess Alissa on her 4th birthday playing with cousin Josiah

 

Gramma playing with Logan and cousin Nathan

 

Alissa (with the help of Dad) riding calves at the branding

 

California brandin'!

 

The fishing is pretty good out here!

 

Can I touch it, Dad?

 

I'd rather play on the rocks than fish!

 

Takin' a break!

 

My little Cowboy!

 

My smiley girl!

 

 

Alissa and The Pony

We have been looking for a replacement for Poncho who was Alissa’s favorite horse that she could ride “on my self!”.  (Translation – by my self. )  So we brought this cute grey pony home in hopes that he would be the one, and if Alissa were about three years older he would be perfect!  Unfortunately he has a little too much energy for a three-year old, but that didn’t stop Alissa from loving him.  However, she took the news that he wasn’t staying quite well and told her Daddy, “That’s o.k., Dad.  I wanted a black pony that’ s littler!”  That will be a tall order to fill!!  So before Scout leaves our home, we took a few photos for fun, and for an ad that Emily from Broken Spear Designs (www.brokenspeardesigns.com) will be creating.  My little Alissa is already a model (ha ha!).   

 

 

An encouraging Word:  Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.    Psalm 85:12-13

The Koontz Family

This last Sunday afternoon was fun!  After being served a yummy lunch at the Koontz’s house, we headed down to the barn for a family photo shoot.  We had initially planned the shoot for the previous Sunday, but due to sick kids and a temperature high of about 25 degrees, we decided to wait a week.  And, boy, does a week make a difference.  It felt like it was 90 degrees outside, but the Koontz’s were all troopers and put on their chaps, cowboy hats, and smiles!!  I have to be honest, it was a bit challenging taking pictures at 2:00 in the afternoon with the bright sun bearing down on us, but Dan my handy assistant 🙂 took care of the kids, made sure the horses ears were perked, and tried to help me light the scene!!  What would I do without him?!  Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

 

And this cute little fellow is Tritt.  He is good natured, absolutely adorable, and Alissa thinks he is the best!

Three gorgeous cowgirls…  

This was later that evening at the Ace of Spades Banquet.  Alissa is proudly showing off her “halter trophy” that she “won” for being a participant in the rodeo series.  It is now hanging in her room!

I just couldn’t leave Logan out of a blog post! 

Roping

At the request of someone, whose name I won’t mention, I am finally getting around to blogging again!  🙂 I thought life was suppose to slow down when fall rolled around and the long days of summer came to a close, but that must be someone else’s life I was thinking about!  I couldn’t tell you exactly what has been keeping me busy, but I know what has been keeping Dan busy – Team Roping!  That’s right.  My bronc rider hung up his bronc saddle and dusted off his team roping saddle!  I knew he couldn’t just sit at home and be content without a little competition in his life!  Here are some pictures from the first ever roping in Kim, Colorado.

Wow! Look at Ike...I mean Dan!!!!

OH YA! He can rope both ends!

And on top of it all, he is a great dad! Logan loves Ike!

He's not camera shy!

And here is how my sweet cowgirl stays entertained at the roping!

And yes, this is a picture of me!  I really don’t like to be in front of the camera.  I’m much more comfortable behind the lens, but my friend Emily needed a picture of me for her website (I sometimes do a little photo work for her).  So the multi-talented Dan put on his photographer hat and snapped this of me.  Not too shabby (the photography, I mean!)

OK, no more pics of me after this!!

 

 

McComber Ranch Bed and Breakfast

The photo shoot I did on Wednesday was actually two-fold.  We did the shoot at Jack and Sylvia McComber’s beautiful place not only because it is a great location, but because Emily (www.brokenspeardesigns) is working on a super cool website for the McComber’s to introduce their newest adventure – a fabulous Bed and Breakfast!  Sylvia, who is extremely talented when it comes to design and style, had transformed their guest house into an ultra cool ranch cottage with a retro vibe. 

Meet Jack and Sylvia…

And their fab place…

Sylvia is outstanding cook, even outside!!

Stayed tuned for the link to their website.  I’ll post it as soon as it is up and running.  Til then, if you need any more information, just leave me a comment and I will get back to ya!!

 

Broken Spear Designs

She is the sweetest friend in the world, and she is also talented, creative, and beautiful (I’m a little jealous :)!!).  So needless to say I was extremely excited when Emily called me and asked if I would do a little photo shoot of her for her website.  Emily is a graphic designer and she is currently updating her website, needed a few new pics, and so our day of fun ensued!  She is always full of great ideas and with Em it is always an adventure!!  Take a look at her website (www.brokenspeardesigns.com) and you’ll see what I mean.  Drop her a line, too, if you need any web, ad, or logo design.  She is a blast to work with, and her work is superb!

Emily has such an eye for style and is willing to try (and try on!!) anything!  I just hope these photos do her justice!

 

An Encouraging Word for today:  Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.  Ephesians 3:20

First Dance Class – Sort of!

She was all stoked about her first dance class and was begging to wear a tutu, which we didn’t have, so she settled for the twirly pink skirt and white shirt and was ready to go.  She had an absolute ball even though it wasn’t exactly dance class.  It was more learn-to-follow-directions and let’s-get-some-coordination class.  They did things like clap the syllables in your name, and balance a bean bag on your finger, foot, and nose, then run around the room with your new found friend!  But for Alissa it was sheer fun, and when the class ended after a mere 30 minutes, she looks at me and says “What are we gonna do now, Mama?”!  So for the next 6 days I’ll be explaining to her that we can’t go back to “dance class” until next Monday!!

And because she is an In-Charge kind of gal, she headed straight for the teacher's chair!! Oops!!

Look at me jump!

And now I've got a bean bag on my nose!!

Hey, I may have just met you, but we're FRIENDS!

 

 

An Encouraging Word for the day:  May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your purpose.    Psalm 20:4