An Introvert Speaks

The Sam Sam and my new flash

an introvert — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:00:11 +0000

My new flash came in the mail a few days ago so when I saw the Sam laying in one of his typically spazzy positions in my dark living room I decided to take a picture.

“geeze mom I was sleeping can you leave me alone”

I love this doggie even if he does need a hair cut and a bath!

Candles and Shutter Speed

an introvert — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:00:37 +0000

More spill over from my 365 blog. Last night after the babe went to bed I started playing with candles and shutter speed. Then I played in Lightroom 3 and made these story boards in Photoshop Elements 8. I’ve really been enjoying photography but the more I learn the more I realize I need to learn. I have a feeling I can stick with this hobby for a very long time with getting bored.

Comparing these two candles was interesting. Even with the shutter speed set at 30 seconds the red candle didn’t completely lose all detail to the light. Sure it needed a little extra editing to recover some of the details but it’s still pretty clear. The white candle completely blew out most of the detail to a point where it could not be recovered at shutter speeds slower than 1/30 of a second.

I was about to hit publish and realized I added the pictures in opposite orders on the two boards. Hopefully it’s not too confusing since I added the shutter speed to the actual frames.

He brought me Roses

an introvert — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:44:50 +0000

More spill over from the 365 blog.

Yesterday Aaron and Blake brought me roses. It was really sweet. The last week has been kind of hard. Not in a bad way. Aaron has just been working longer hours and there’s a potential change on the horizon. It ~~would~~ will be a good change and it’s very exciting it’s just kind of a time suck while we wait to see if it falls into place. So Aaron (and Blake) brought me flowers. When they got home I could Aaron whispering in the background saying give these to Mommy and say “I love you!’ Blake came down to see me and refused to hand them over. He just kept smelling them. I had to pull one out and give it to him before he would hand me the bunch. Later he absolutely destroyed his one flower by banging it on the floor until the petals came off. Here’s a few pictures of a different rose.

Weigh in

an introvert — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:23:34 +0000

So I’ve been slacking and pretty much eating anything I want through the holidays. I’m back on track and managed to lose 3.2 pounds last week. I still weigh myself most weeks even though I didn’t keep up here. Below are the sad stats.

01/03/2011	182.0
12/27/2010	185.2
12/13/2010	183.0
12/07/2010	183.2
11/29/2010	180.4
11/22/2010	180.0
11/15/2010	182.6
11/08/2010	180.0
11/01/2010	180.4
10/25/2010	182.0
10/18/2010	179.8
10/11/2010	181.6
10/04/2010	182.8

I’m tracking what I’m eating again and letting the calories/fat keep me accountable.

Where I’m at

182.0pounds

Weight Loss this week: 3.2 pound

New January Goal: 179 by Monday, January31, 2011

7 pounds to my pre-pregnancy weight

Total Weight Loss: 36 pounds lost, 32 pounds to go

Wooden Toys

an introvert — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:39:00 +0000

Every summer I spent a week or two in Michigan with my dad’s side of the family. I’d spend at least a week of it Up North with my grandparents. I wasn’t (am barely now) very domestic so I spent most of my time wandering around with my grandpa. Who despite his faults was an awesome grandpa. I am the oldest grandchild by almost 8 years and my dad’s only child so I received quite a bit of individual attention. Sometimes I think I didn’t spend enough time mourning his passing. He died one day shy of a month after my brother’s death. When I heard the news I was already DEEP in grief for my brother. His death was just one more thing added to the pile on top. Throw in helping take care of my uncle who was undergoing chemo and radiation, my first semester of college and a part time job and there really wasn’t much room. I feel bad about it because my grandpa really does have a special place in my heart. I digress.

My grandpa worked with wood as long as I can remember. He made me a rocking elephant, several cradles for my dolls, and tons of cars and other toys. Sometimes I don’t feel like I mourned his passing enough

Here I am on said rocking elephant which may or may not be lost. My dad sent it back to Michigan at some point for my younger cousins and it hasn’t been seen in quite a while.

Here I am forcing him to smile for a picture when he and my grandma came to visit for my high school graduation. That trip was the last time I saw him.

Here’s my baby in the crib my grandpa made for my dolls. He’s a few days old and ~5Ilb 14oz, 18.5″ here.

And here are some of the awesome toys he made.

I miss him

Playing with Aperture

an introvert — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:00:03 +0000

As is inevitable pictures are spilling over here from my 365 Blog. I’ve been trying to learn how to take better pictures. I have a decent camera (Canon Rebel Xsi) and I just purchased a new (much better) lens. I’ve been having fun.

I’ve know the general characteristics of aperture for a while (thank you Pioneer Woman) but my last lens didn’t have a very low f/stop so I wasn’t really able to play. Last night I read the first few weeks of this tutorial and decided to give it a try with my new lens. I kept the focus on the bear’s arm and shot in AV priority.

The first picture was shot at f/1.8. Notice how the bear isn’t even all the way in focus.

The middle picture was shot at f/8. The bear and some of the background are in focus.

The last picture was shot at f/22. The background is harshly in focus.

It was interesting seeing the differences that can come out of my camera. Hopefully this will translate into better pictures of The Babe.

Another Blog to Neglect

an introvert — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 05:44:25 +0000

I’ve started a 365 blog here’s the link. I’m planning on getting back here soon. Especially since I’ve actually gained a few pounds. Time to get back on track!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

an introvert — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:00:12 +0000

I’ve been sadly neglecting this blog. I’ll get back to it. The truth is I’ve been gaining and losing the same 2 pounds for the last 6 weeks so there isn’t much to update on that front and life is busy. My kid is smart and fun and cute…did I mention awesome. Here are a few pictures that our photographer took

Wordless Wednesday-First Hair Cut

an introvert — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:46 +0000

Before

After

Wordless Wednesday

an introvert — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:16:07 +0000

2008

2009

2010