I Heart Faces: Pets

I always love showing off my puppies! This is a photo of Reeses watching intently out the window looking for something to bark at outside. I love her even though she drives me crazy with her barking at times. I get a good laugh at her when she's being taunted by the neighborhood cat prancing around outside our window.

Be sure to check out all the great pets at I Heart Faces this week!

Wordless Wednesday

For more WW, check out 5 Minutes For Mom.

Reeses to the Rescue

Ella was SO sad when I didn't grab her immediately out of her crib.

Then she sees Reeses, and she isn't quite so sad.

It is funny how suddenly life is just fine when Reeses is there to help out. (And, yes, Ella stuck her foot through the crib and said "toes, toes!")

I'm glad that Reeses can prevent meltdowns!

I Heart Faces: Pets!

I couldn't resist the opportunity to show off my precious pups. Ali is the brown mutt, and Reeses is the black/white/brown half-mutt/half-corgi. They just love bath time, can't you tell? :)

Be sure to check out all the great pets at I Heart Faces this week!

Ella and Reeses

Ella absolutely loves our dogs, and I finally captured her playing with Reeses on video. They are so funny together!

Homemade Lightscoop

If you follow my Project 365 blog, you've probably seen me mention a homemade "lightscoop" in my settings. A lightscoop is a nifty little device you can attach to most SLR cameras to bounce the light from your internal (or pop-up flash). You don't need one if you have a speedlite (which I really, really want!), but a lightscoop is a very cheap device that can help out if you don't have a speedlite. I read about the idea for a homemade lightscoop on another blog, and right now I can't seem to find the blog to link it. Once I find it, I'll link it! Basically, you take some sort of card (like an index card, or in my case an old credit card) and cover it with foil. You'll end up with a device like mine. I placed it on the Dr. Seuss book for some size perspective.

To use the homemade lightscoop, I have to hold it at about a 45 degree angle to the flash. It takes a little getting used to, but now it is very easy for me to figure out the placement (I don't even have to think about it anymore). So why do I even want to avoid using the pop-up flash in the first place? I'll let the pictures do the explaining. First, a picture of my assistant, Reeses, with the pop-up flash, followed by a picture of Reeses with the same settings using the pop-up flash with my homemade lightscoop. Both of these shots are straight out of the camera.

Although the second photo could use a bit of brightening, it is far better than the blown-out first picture. If I had played with my settings a bit more I probably could have gotten it bright enough without any need for post-processing.

A Girl and Her Fruit Loops

Dad gave Ella some fruit loops. Some she ate . . .some she shared with Reeses.

Ella was so proud that she fed Reeses a fruit loop, but then was confused as to why Reeses didn't give the fruit loop back.

Later on . . . Ella managed to get the box of fruit loops. Now, if only she could open it and get the fruit loops out.

Still trying . . . 

Still trying . . .this is tough work!

Success!