busygirl

you capture: get outside.

I didn't get to spend much time outside this week, other than a few games of volleyball and some quick jaunts with the dog.  It's been a whirlwind week with lots of exciting things going on!  But while playing around with some settings on my camera the other day I snagged this photo.  The neighbors were peering at me wondering if I had lost my mind as I crawled around on my hands and knees in our modest backyard.  But I couldn't resist shooting the unkept grass with the last rays of sunshine peeking through.  I took this at 6:30pm.  I'm not ready for it to be dark early again. 

And that pile of rocks?  The culprit of many klumsy moments.  I always forget they are there and promptly go flying when I walk around the corner.  They really do not serve a purpose, except cover up some dead spots in the lawn.

And if you're wondering what Ricki was doing while I was out acting like I was on one major bug hunt, here you go:

I really like how you can see the house siding in this picture for some reason.

What did you capture?

you capture: kitchen.

There's really not much else that I love in our kitchen as much as homemade food, simmering away on the stove.  Like the homemade salsa Adam and I threw together the other night.

Although Adam would probably tell you he loves his Henckels knives more than anything else.

And if you asked our dog, chances are the answer would be that top shelf on the refrigerator door where his favorite treats are kept.  Carrots!

 

you capture: black & white

 

Okay, the wedding is over, it's time to get back to our normal lives.  For me that means long walks with the dog, reading books cover-to-cover in one night, and of course, messing around with my camera.  I was so excited that this week's assignment was black & white, but unfortunately, most of the photos I took outdoors just popped with colors!  I couldn't bear to turn them grayscale for this assignment.

My nephew pulled through for me though.  I snapped this at my father-in-law's birthday dinner on Sunday.  Tommy was sound asleep in his daddy's arms, completely exhausted from an afternoon of smiling, playing, eating blueberries and generally being the sweet little boy that he is.

What did you capture?

you capture: depth of field.

Between moving, job switching and wedding planning, I've been slacking in participating in Beth's weekly 'you capture'.  Having a weekly assignment forces me to pick up my camera and experiment with finding new creative, and I've missed it dearly.  But, I'm back!  And ready to shoot to my heart's desire.

This week's assignment was fun to experiment with, and although my trusty costar (the dog) was more than willing to model for photos, I found that my 5-month old nephew proved to be the real camera star.

But before I show my final product, I need to you meet someone.  This...is Robster.

Loving, loyal companion of my darling nephew Tommy.  Everywhere baby Tommy goes, Robster goes too.  He's there during naptimes, playtimes and even trips to Uncle Adam and Aunt Nicole's house!  Although we must play too hard for Tommy, because he fell fast asleep with Robster by his side.

Providing the perfect setting for my field of depth assignment capturing two best friends, sound asleep.

 

For more you captures, head over to Beth's! 

you capture: shapes

Day in and day out I stare at this thing.

It's familiar.  The 'squares' fit my fingers perfectly.  I love the soothing typitty sound the 'squares' make when I touch them.  Rarely do I miss a 'square' and usually it's because I had become utterly distracted by the lovely 'circle' on my desk (my ever-coveted coffee mug).  The 'squares' don't stick, don't correct me, don't miss a beat.

And so, I spend hours upon hours with this 'rectangle', full of its tiny, perfect, little 'squares'.

What did you capture?  Head over to Beth's to see more!

you capture: (puppy) kisses

I casually mentioned to Adam that this week's assignment was 'kisses' and was left coughing in the dust of his wake as he fled from the room.  Hmph.  Apparently Ricki was going to have to be my costar again this week.

So last night I sat him down and said 'Ricki, give me a kiss.'  And he turned his butt at me and walked away.  Apparently 'give me a kiss' is in the same realm as 'sit', 'lay', 'heel'...aka all those things we attempted to teach him that he refuses to learn.

Fortunately his curiosity with the camera never fails.  Upon bringing out the camera he immediately ran over to sniff and snot all over it.  Here's some quick shots where I attempted to capture him giving the camera a 'kiss' (I use this term loosely):

Yes, I know they're all blurry.  He wasn't being a very cooperative costar last night.  Sighhh...I hope all your captures are much better than mine this week.

you capture: work

This week's assignment was to capture 'work.'  Well, working in Finance isn't all too glamorous, I mean really, even my desk looks boring...

Snooze.

So I decided that one of my co-stars would be the topic of this week's you capture.  I mean, we all know that he spends about 84% of his time scatching some shut-eye, but there are a few times that he does have to 'work'.  I managed to snap this shot this morning of him working hard to get his Pedigree dental stick (btw if you have a dog, these things are amazing!  They've done wonders to keep the few teeth he has left clean).

Hey, it's hard work looking this cute.

For more you capture - head over to Beth's!

you capture: love around your home.

I found this week's challenge to be particulary difficult, not because I didn't know what to shoot but because there's literary HUNDREDs of things around the house that remind me of love.  I really did try to narrow it down to just a few though...

I love that Adam loves his plants.  The kid was definitely blessed with a green thumb.  Here's some of his favorites that he moved to his bedroom for the winter so they would survive the cold. 

My feelings of love come from all the photographs around our house.  With living two hours away from both of our families, I have to rely on the photo of my brother's goofy grin at Adam's graduation to bring about a feeling of home.  Here's a bunch of smiling faces lined up on my dresser.

And of course, Ricki has love in our house too.  I snapped a quick shot of his favorite toy...of course he's in the photo trying to paw it away from me.  Silly puppy.

And I think there is one thing that symbolizes love for all three of us (okay, maybe just Adam and I cause Ricki REALLY loves that toy).  Our best man took and designed this photo of our house when we moved in.  It's hanging right by our front door.  I love that he was able to capture our first home together.

 To see the love in other's homes, click here!

you capture: winter.

I grew up in the 'snowbelt' of Cleveland where snowfall is measured in feet not inches so winter isn't quite my favorite season.  And even though the snow is pretty to look at - I'm tired of the fact that it just creates a mess, is cold and causes me to kick myself daily for forgetting to put a snowbrush in my car.

So we spend most of our winters snuggled up on the couch trying to keep warm.

 For more you capture photos, head on over to ishouldbefoldinglaundry!

***Don't worry, Martha Show recap will be up soon!  I'm about to head to the airport and will load photos and such when I get home tonight!***

you capture: holiday decor

So, this is repost of sorts since I participated in the Christmas Tour of Homes, so I've already shown off my most of my holiday decor...but here's my FAVORITE holiday decoration for you all:

My nutcrackers!  I've had one ever since I was little...and played with it so much that I broke the sword off.  It is now on the mantel at my mom's house with the sword barely held together with scotch tape.  It could just be the sentimental attachment I have because ofmy ballerina days.  Regardless, there's something about them that just reminds me of Christmas. 

What's your favorite holiday decor?  To see other's, head over here!