Christmas Babies (at the Pugh House)

Have you ever wondered how many babies were photographed with strings of lights wrapped around them this Christmas thanks to Pinterest?  I have.

I feel like the above picture just needs a good caption...

I know that I entered the Christmas season determined to be intentional about taking Christmas-themed photos.  A family member and friend let me borrow some lights, so that was a definite help in taking pictures indoors this year, though I definitely need to read up on how to use them to the best effect.  But I was so grateful for their help in keeping us from grainy indoor photographs.

I loved these of Claire.  She looked so adorable.  She gets silly fast, though, so I had to hurry!  I love my silly niece.

Next up, Haddon!  I had a hard time getting him to look away from those shiny lights.

He's such a squeezable little fella.

Drool coming out of little boy's mouths brings back fond memories.  

 I loved this one in black and white AND color.

Pugh boys keep stealing my heart.

 Next up, the circus.

I actually cropped out Claire and John David from this picture because they were being silly and my two were looking at me so...it's really hard to get four kids with decent expressions on their faces to look at you at the same time.

But by keeping your finger on the shutter continuously, it can eventually be done.  The Kizziah kids look wonder-filled.

I really ought to just post all 20 of these pictures in a row.  James' expressions are priceless, as is all the other cousin action going on.

It's doll-baby's turn.  I love her little dainty, dimpled hands up by her face.

Happy smiles for her mommy.

 Did Pinterest inspire any of your Christmas pictures this year?

Got a DSLR camera for Christmas?

I have several friends who have bought or received new cameras in the past few months who have asked me about learning how to use it.  I always tell them that I read A LOT of online tutorials and did A LOT of practicing until whatever new concept I was trying to learn clicked.  This means that you will take A LOT of pictures, and the people closest to you will forget what your face looks like because it will be hidden behind your camera most of the time, and you might have to purchase an external hard drive to contain all these practice sessions, but you will learn how to use your camera, and it will be fun.  

There are thousands and thousands of good photography tutorials on the internet, but for you few little friends of mine that have asked, I thought I'd share some of the first things I learned when I first got my camera.

One of the main reasons I upgraded to a DSLR was to learn how to shoot in Manual mode and be in control of all my settings.  I later learned that a lot of other cameras have a Manual setting, I just never really learned how to use my camera in the past.  So even without a DSLR, you may be able to control some of the settings on your camera.  My second reason for wanting a DSLR was to create that magical blurry background with beautiful bubbles of light called bokeh.  I don't think I'm alone in upgrading for that reason.  

   Bokeh!

Today I'm going to direct you to four blog posts written by Ree Drummond, otherwise known as The Pioneer Woman.  I read her posts on What the heck is an aperture? before I got my camera and then read them again after my camera arrived.  In them she explains from her self-taught point of view how your aperture (or f-stop) works with your shutter speed.  I took a photography class in college, so these terms were familiar, but I needed help brushing up on them.  For a while, you will have to consciously think about how these two things are working together, but after awhile, it really does become second nature, and your brain will stop feeling like it's about to explode.

I think having a basic understanding of how your ISO, aperture, and shutter speed work together to take the picture you want is a crucial first step to shooting in manual mode, and these blog posts are where I started, so happy reading!  And feel free to ask any questions you might have.

The Pioneer Woman's Tutorial:

Part 1  

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

A Special Link

My sweet girl blogged again today.  Also, she picked out the new look for her blog, every single bit.  It's all her.

She told me tonight I was the best mother in the whole world.  I doubt that is true, but it was encouraging to hear, especially as I try to teach and discipline her throughout the day.  My mothering is so imperfectly done, but she blessed me with her words tonight.

Friday's Flashback: The Metropolitan Tabernacle

Let's finish up these England posts, right!?

I actually did a re-cap of our last day shortly after we came home, but there were obviously a lot of pictures left out of that.

Sadly, I didn't really take as many pictures inside the Metropolitan's sanctuary as I should have.  I guess I refrained since we were there for an actual Sunday morning service, and it was filled with people.  

That morning we took the train into London and then navigated the Tube like old pros to Elephant and Castle, which is still one of the best intersection names ever, I think.

While riding through the Underground, I noticed a couple who looked to be in their 60s and carrying Bibles, so I figured they were headed in the same direction we were.  We eventually started talking to them and learned the man was England-born but had moved to the States, and they now lived in Iowa.  They came every year for a few months and always worshiped at the Metropolitan Tabernacle when they were there.  Since they knew where they were going we tagged along and ended up sitting with them on the front row.

I had heard the story of Charles Spurgeon's salvation, how he believed when he heard the repeated declaration of Isaiah 45:22.  The sanctuary was simply decorated, and that verse at the front of the room was the only adornment, if I remember correctly.  I liked seeing it there.

I'm really glad we had the opportunity to attend a service there.  It was interesting to see what was different among these English Baptists. :)  I liked that their hymnnal was filled with all the verses of the great English writers, but I wasn't a fan of the fact that there was no music to go along with it.  I never realized how helpful it was to be able to at least somewhat follow the notes up and down the staff when you didn't know a melody.

The other most-notable thing to both KJ and I was the 15-minute pastoral prayer during the first part of the service.  It was definitely the longest pastoral prayer during a worship service we had ever experienced.  We enjoyed the sermon, and probably the best part was meeting and talking to people around us afterwards.  KJ had a long conversation with a young man from Romania who had been saved in a (I think a Pentecostal-like) church there, but he told us how he'd wanted to learn more about what the Bible taught, and he'd gotten involved with a church plant in London that was part of John MacArthur's ministry.  That Sunday was his first to visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

We left talking about what it would be like to live in an international city like London and what church-planting there would be like.  Over lunch at McDonald's (of course we ate at McDonald's in London...) KJ said, "I can see us spending our golden years here."  I said, "Our golden years won't be soon enough."   Time will tell.

My Newest Niece

A New Year

I can't remember the last time I made any New Year's Resolutions, but in the days leading up to January 1, 2013, I felt really hopeful and excited about change in the coming year.  There's nothing on our family calendar so far that is new or different or exciting, but I felt excitement over a fresh start.  (And as Anne Shirley says, "You never know what's around the bend in the road."  I'm always looking for something unexpectedly exciting to happen.)

Every morning offers a fresh start with renewed mercies of the Lord, and an entire new year of fresh starts seems hopeful.  

I read something last week that challenged me:  "A goal without a plan is just a dream."  I was blog-hopping through several new year posts, and that phrase stuck with me.  I wondered if writing down my goals for the year would help me make steps to meet them.  I didn't want a list of rules; I know I'll break them.  But having goals I actually try to meet and new habits I build into my day seemed like a good thing.  

I made my list yesterday.  Before I wrote down my goals I wrote a list of four priorities, because no matter what I might hope to change or accomplish in 2013, I wanted to remember and keep focused on the most important things in my life:  loving God, loving my husband, loving my children, and loving others.  Keeping up with a cleaning schedule can't get in the way of spending time with my kids.  It's not worth that.  I really found that writing things down yesterday helped me keep my mind focused on the things I really wanted to accomplish with my time throughout the day.  It kept me from wasting time and made me choose to do something with Ella when I might have just sent her to her room for quiet time and done whatever I wanted.  

I didn't meet all of my goals for yesterday, but I didn't beat myself up about it as usual.  Instead I just felt empowered to press forward, and it was a good day.

I remembered these encouraging words to those putting their hope in Jesus last night:

  

And we all, with unveiled face,

beholding the glory of the Lord,

are being transformed into the same image

from one degree of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

I laughingly told KJ, "Now THAT'S change we can believe in." 

"Let's start the new year right..."

The past eight new years have started with me celebrating the birth of my husband, and excepting the first year we were married, I don't often feel like I do a good enough job of celebrating him.  Especially after having Ella, and when we lived 7 hours away from family, a week's worth of traveling and Christmas celebrating usually left me worn out and waiting until the last minute to remember I hadn't bought him a birthday present.  Poor holiday children.  

Over the past 3-4 years I've tried to be more prepared.  I got sick this past Saturday and am afraid I went to Target with a fever on Sunday in order to prepare for his big day.  I don't normally like to spread my germs, but it wasn't intentionally done, poor person who might have caught my cold from using my buggy.  

But Sunday afternoon I had my big idea:  30 presents for 30 years!  This actually proved a little more difficult than I expected, trying not to spend too much money, but also trying to buy things he really did enjoy and/or need.  I think I succeeded pretty well.  He got a mixture of fun gifts, his favorite treats, favorite meals, and acts of service from me and the kids.  He got to open one present an hour starting at 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

James was very upset to learn that these were not his presents; thus, you have the tears in the first two pictures.  He was a very enthusiastic helper for the rest of the present-opening experience, though. 

But before our family celebrations, we re-convened with church family and friends at CiCi's Pizza on Sunday night to celebrate the man of the hour.  I really didn't feel good, but the thermometer was giving me mixed results before we left, so I went ahead, but I definitely had a fever when we got home.  Yuck.

 The Newlyweds!

 "Fifty is the new thirty."

There were others I didn't snag a picture of...fever fog?...but we were so grateful for those who were able to come and celebrate the beginning of KJ's third decade. 

Last night I set the table with the best china, and we had a dinner party.  It might have been the china...and a sippy cup with a straw or two, but it was all made very elegant by having the Downton Abbey soundtrack playing in the background.

 Happy New Year, and happy birthday, to KJ!