my new toys

say what you will
about me
but i want to share one of the things that will make this summer
at our home
much
much
more enjoyable

these babies!

we've been a family of 6
sharing ONE desktop
now, i'm not complaining
i am very grateful for our ONE desktop

but seriously girls
one place to check emails
one place for four facebook updates
one place for working on projects & writing papers

one in pink & one in red
have made for bliss at the knudsen home

since these bad boys have arrived
i have yet to hear
one
"i call computer!!!!"
as we pull into the driveway

they are worth their weight in gold
i tell ya!

the last month for me has been a total
information overload

let me roll it out for you

i upgraded my antique flip phone
to my uber cool touchscreen rogue
which i now tweet from

(not that i have a twitter worthy life, but it is fun)

with a keypad for rapid texting
my girls didn't think i'd convert easily
they have no faith

figured out the new laptop

purchased
downloaded ( which just about caused me to loose my salvation)
& figured out
how to use florabella actions
and textures

upgraded from photoshop elements 4 to pse 8
so that i could run said actions & textures

attended a photography workshop
& made the big move....
flipped the switch on my canon from auto
drumroll please
to manual

why did no one tell me?
or did you?
what a world of difference that makes

learned ( sorry...learning)
how to shoot in aperture priority
play with white balance
figure out the best iso
& shutter speed

slapped on my new 50mm f/1.4 lens
& i swear i heard the angels sing
& my life was forever changed

i've taken over 1,000 photos of florals
in the last couple of weeks

seriously

much easier to play & learn on
still life

than running & jumping little cuties

here are a couple

sooc

( straight out of camera)

shots

and a couple post-processed

with florabella actions

& textures

this texture was actually a freebie

that i found on flickr

the only downside

to all the new toys....

gotta be careful not to spend all day

playing!

two words

c-"hey mama"

me-"what cutie"

c- "i got two words for ya"
me-"yeah, what ya got?"

c-"FOURTH GRADER!"

me-"oh yeah"

me-"well i got 6 words for you"

me-" you'll always be my BABY GIRL!"

as of wednesday

i'll officially be the mom

of

a

highschool senior ( heaven help me)

a 9th grader

an 8th grader

&

yes

little bit

a 4th grader!

sorry i'm so delayed...

cstargel

YOU are the winner of the super cute fun tote

please contact kelly

kellychartman@aim.com

& she'll get you all set up!

for the love of strawberry jam

homemade strawberry jam
is definitely one of my most favorite treats
a freshly picked juicy strawberry
truly is heaven isn't it?

so this weekend we made our annual
visit to the strawberry patch
with my new rockin lens in hand

& for anyone who wants to throw
their advice my way
please
lay it on me...
is my white balance off?
should i not be shooting in aperture priority
when its this bright outside?

change my iso?

???

well
overprocessed photo or whatever you want to call it

we had a great morning

( insert smiley face here...

i've wanted to shoot this next shot

for like

ummm

forever

i am so happy with my new lens

thank you to all my buddies

who so cheerfully gave me their advice

i ended up going with this one

& love it!)

caroline's little bestie was along for the fun

i usually use sure-gel

freezer jam recipe

but this year

found the ball jar brand no-cook packets

easey peasey

messy

but super easy

seriously

its like 3 steps

wash

blend, mix, chop

whatever your preference

i prefer smooth

but you could just slice/crush them if you like

the little pieces in your jam

stir

loads of sugar

& your mix

with the berries

or have your child do that part

while you're preparing the next batch

& voila

no joke

so darn easy

& seriously

YUMMY!

& ps

you may still enter your name for the fun monogrammed tote

i'll announce the winner later this week

~

a fun giveaway for you!

hi friends~

i have a super cute giveaway for you

kelly from "Thirty One Gifts"has offered

this square utililty tote

AND a monogram

( lime green monogram on this navy stripe will be so cute!)

to one of my readers!
the tote is 12.5"d x9"h x 12"l

& would make a great gift for a new grad

or picnic supplies
keeping the car organized
picking up toys
picking vegetables from the garden
knitting supplies
perfect size for scrapbook papers
books and dvd storage
or a cute container for taking chips and dip to a party

featured on pg 30 & 31 on the online catalog

if you see something you love on kelly's website
just click "place an order online"

and choose "Paige's blog party"


if you would like to leave a comment on my facebook

to be entered

that's just fine too

to be added twice
just go to kelly's facebook page & "like"

i will post the winner on tuesday

thanks kelly!

& i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend

a perfect day

the first born calls me mom

the next one calls me mommy

& the little two call me mama

yesterday those four cuties & my sweet man made me feel very loved

handmade glittered cards

poems

facebook messages ( yes, you know you have arrived when your teenager writes on your wall)

& a new lens ( decided on a 50mm f/1.4) is on its way!!!!

dantheman planted a new tree & several perenials for me

including blueberries....crossing my fingers they make it!

caroline knew i wanted to plant lettuce but since the nursery was sold out

she opted for seeds instead

then she started talking to me about a harvest....harvest? oh dear....pressure for sure

she had asked dan to take her so she could pick out pretties for my garden ( & i do use that term loosely). she wanted to pay with her own money. sweet child

the weather was perfect

so we opted to picnic in the back yard for lunch

yes i realize 1:00 is not the prime time for photos

so these are all overexposed

but

who cares

i wasn't going for portraits

just wanted to document our special day

so here's a few glimpses of our afternoon

& yes, i even had my eyes open during the prayer

gotta capture that moment right?

they all love the lord

& they all cheer

other than that

all three of my teenage daughters are

COMPLETELY different

completely

so

mothering these girls is a constant reminder that i need grace

trying to be consistant

yet respond to , react to, discipline, encourage, love on each one individually

is quite the challenge

what drives one out of her mind

makes the other feel loved

whats no biggie to one

would be a near death event for another

i'm long past the pack the diaper bag & fill the sippie cups days

instead

we're full speed ahead with SAT's, tampons, drivers licenses, & designer jeans

we share jewelry, purses, shoes & clothes

talk about colleges, boys, & body piercings

sorry ladies! but your day is coming

i saw you roll your eyes!

i miss having little ones who still "need" me

but i wouldn't trade this stage for anything

my little 9 year old keeps things fresh for me

& keeps my love tank pretty full

heaven help me when she asks for a tattoo!

also want to wish my mom~ 'mimi'~ a happy mothers day

we all love you !!

thank you for giving me a legacy of a godly mom who loves the lord

i remember coming down stairs each morning to seeing you reading your bible & praying~~

every day!

i'm trying to do the same for my girls, mom

thank you

& i love you