Sadness

Sadness, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Sometimes only cuddles with Daddy will make it better. Kristi's cat is at the vet's overnight because he injured his foot and needs to have it fixed up. She is worried and despondent. Crunch will be fine, but it's hard to convince her of that right now.

Sorry - but this must be done.

I apologize - I realize I haven't even posted photos for the last couple days yet...and I didn't take any of these...but I loved every single one. I MUST share it! Please, please, please take the time to check out this link.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2011-03-16/50-photos-of-basset-hounds-running/

I desperately need a basset.

Some assignments are hard!

The Digital Photography School weekend assignment was “street photography.” The idea is to shoot people and activities out in public – most street photography has an urban edge, they’re often black and white, and they generally have people in them. Stevensville is not urban. In fact, the sidewalks are practically rolled up on a Sunday afternoon. I strolled all the way down Main Street (both sides) and I only saw 3 other people the whole time! I did see this guy – he’s pretty reliable…

He’s made up of old vehicle parts. A very cool sculpture.
I got some exercise in, anyway. Yay!

It’s time for a family portrait!

Fancy will be graduating (GAK!) in a month, and then she will be heading off to Indiana for who-knows-how-long. I wanted to be sure to get a new family photo before she’s gone. I wanted to go down to Father Ravalli park and use the great expanse of grass…but it was quite rainy. Instead, we cleaned the living room, moved the furniture, set up the studio lighting (Felice, I LOVE that new flash!), and took a new family photo!

We tried to get Molly in the shot(s), but she wouldn’t cooperate, so we didn’t manage to get even one family photo with her in it. Oh well. All the kids cooperated, so I’m happy. After we were done shooting we went to the grocery store and everyone got to pick out candy as a reward for getting a good family portrait.

We finished up Saturday by watching Tangled. It was great! We all really enjoyed it! The whole day turned out to be a good Saturday in Scrivnerburg.

April Fool’s Fun!

We had an April Fool’s Day party at the church. We ate good food, played a lot of games, and had a great time! Glenda brought spaghetti and meatballs – in the form of cupcakes! What a great treat for April Fool’s Day!

If you’d like to see more photos of the fun evening, you can find them here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=286729&id=78635363756. (I hope! Facebook’s new photo stuff doesn’t always work the way I would hope.)

It’s book review time!–Awakening by Stovall Weems

I was given the opportunity to review Awakening by Stovall Weems. It was interesting to me because it promised an awakening in my relationship with God. I have been walking with Him for a couple decades now – I love Him, and appreciate all He’s done for me – but I had let my relationship get stale. I was eager for a boost in my personal connection to God. The cover copy promised a satisfying and passionate relationship with my Savior – I love the word “passionate!” It exudes excitement, energy, enthusiasm! That’s exactly what I was looking for!

The subtitle of the book is “A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom.” I’ve never been one who fasts often, so I wasn’t sure how that would work for me…but maybe that’s the reason my relationship was stale? As I began to read the book and understand what the Bible has to say about fasting, I realized I have been missing a large facet of my spiritual life.

Now I must admit, I haven’t started the fasting portion yet. The math doesn’t work out. The fasting plan is a 21-day program. Because I blog my reviews for WaterBrook Multnomah, and they ask their reviewers to post within 30 days, I had a bit of a mathematical issue. I couldn’t read the book and do the fast within the 30 days with my current schedule.

With that said, I have to say that Stovall Weems has already jump-started my renewed relationship with God. He speaks of living daily in a passionate, joyful walk – that’s exactly what I want, and some of the concepts have really opened my eyes:

• Passion – “God created us to be passionate about what we love; therefore, we should always be passionate for Him!”
• Creating space – “Don’t try to figure everything out. Just create some space for God.”
• Fasting – “Fasting hits the reset button of your soul.”

Just these small snippets have made a difference in my spiritual walk. If you’re looking for renewed zeal, want to take another step forward in your Christian walk, or are just starting along God’s path, I recommend that you read Awakening.

I’m going to make some spiritual space for God!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

My littlest artist

TDS inside activity, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Caleb loves loves loves artistic activities, so the Daily Shoot assignment (being inside) worked well for us today. It's a very chilly spring day - one that called for a fun indoor activity. Maybe I'll share some masterpieces later - this was shot just as Dubbies was getting started painting.

Oh - and I actually got my 7d out for this photo! No cell phone shot today!