Reflections and Icicles...52 Challenge Weeks 3-4

Today ended up being a restful day. We had no extra activities going on, and I was actually able to get school done as well as finish up a few other things that I had been needing to do. Doesn't it feel great when, at the end of the day, your "to-do" list has a nice row of check marks all the way down?

Ok, back on track. The reason I posted this was not to tell you how much I like having my to-do list complete (though it is great), it was to post my "52 Photo Challenge" photos for week 3 and 4.

 Week 3 - Reflections

I know that around Flash's eye is a little blurry, but the reflection is so cool!

Just a side note: I have the most wonderful horse ever. I'm sure that everyone who has a horse says the same about theirs, but really, Flash is the best!! She puts up with my photography hobby, and has such a sweet disposition...

 Week 4 - Icicles

So there you have it...my photography adventures from the past couple weeks. I'm hoping to stay on top of this from now on instead of posting them in groups like this. Also, I promise to start doing posts on subjects other than photography! I have some post ideas in mind...the hardest part is finding the time to sit down and get those ideas onto the computer screen.

Changes...

A few changes have taken place around here since my last post, the main thing being a new blog design. What do you think? Amanda at CS Designs just installed it on Saturday, and I'm very happy with it :) 

I would like to know if any of you have suggestions for this blog. If you do, I would love to hear from you! I also want to thank those of you who have voted on the poll telling me what you would like to see more posts about. I really want this blog to be of encouragement to you, and also something that you enjoy reading. From what I've seen so far, most of you want me to do more posts on photography (even if you didn't want me to post photography I'd do it anyways simply because that's one of the things I enjoy), daily life, farm life, and verses/Bible study. I'm looking forward to it! A couple of you are looking for some horse related posts, so I'll throw a few of those in too (I love horses, so I'm sure it won't be hard for me to blog about them!).

I know that in my last post I said that I'd be posting my 52 photo challenge "photo-of-the-week" at the end of each week, but this past week was quite crazy. No kidding...we had 4-H activities going on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday afternoon, today, and then again tomorrow. And then add a few babysitting jobs to that...I think you get the picture. I have the photo for week 3 chosen, but it's still on my camera. So I think I'll just wait on posting that picture until the end of this week when I post the photo for week 4. You may not hear much from me this week, due mainly to my schedule :) I do have a few post ideas, so hopefully I can get around to posting them soon!

52 Photo Challenge

I'm afraid that I'm a bit late in posting this...but I guess there isn't much I can do about that now, is there?

I really wanted to do some sort of photography challenge this year, but didn't feel like I could devote myself to a 365 photo challenge (one good picture...every day...for a whole year). Then I noticed that other girls had mentioned that they were doing a 52 photo challenge...one good photo every week for one year. That's a little more realistic for me!

Since this is posted a little late I'm going to post some pictures to get caught up. I will have to admit that the first week of the year I was sort of absent from my camera (I'm still trying to figure out how I survived...*grin*), so I decided to"make up" for it by posting a picture that I took just a few days later...

Week 1 (January 1 - January 8)

Week 2 (January 9 - January 15)

So, from now on I'll be posting my "photo of the week" at the end of each week. Hopefully it will challenge me to practice good composition on my photos as well as experiment with new techniques, subjects, lighting, and angles.

I'm up to the challenge...are you?? 

Living by Faith

If you read this carefully, it really gives you something to think about...

"Just so surely as we ask to have our Faith strengthened, we must feel a willingness to take from God's hand the means for strengthening it. We must allow Him to educate us through trials and bereavements and troubles. It is through trials that Faith is exercised more and more. God affectionately permits difficulties, that He may develop unceasingly that which He is willing to do for us, and to this end we should not shrink, but if He gives us sorrow and hindrances and losses and afflictions, we should take them out of His hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more of that Faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us."

 - George Muller

"The province of FAITH begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail."

 - George Muller

Top 10 from '10

As I browsed through my photo archives from 2010 (which consists of over 9,000 photos), it was a hard decision. The decision at hand was choosing my top ten favorite photos from the past year. I scrolled down through the seemingly endless pages of photos, and I couldn't decide. "Oh, there are those photos of the sunset at the lake...those are my favorites!" until I reach the page that has pictures from that photo shoot at the railroad tracks...

Why is this so difficult?!?

I finally decided... I can't pick ten "top favorites"...it's impossible. But just for the fun of it, here are ten from my "favorites" folder (in no particular order). I tried to pick photos that I hadn't posted here before and also not a whole bunch from the same photo shoot. Enjoy!

 {A nest of bird eggs found when doing a photo shoot at a wildlife refuge}

 {A butterfly that sat still long enough for me to snap a picture}

 {A stunning sunset over a lake}

 {Friendship is a gift from the heart}

{My lovely friend Rachel...I like the color in this one!}

 {My beautiful friend Alexandra...I like the color in this one too!}

 {I took this picture while experimenting with angles and natural lighting}

 {Macro Shot}

{Railroad tracks...one of my favorite places for a photo shoot!}