memorial day

Today we went to a Memorial Day ceremony at a cemetery, to remember what Memorial Day is really about.

So many men and women have selflessly sacrificed their lives to keep us free...they have given up so much so we could have what we have.

Although Memorial Day is unofficially the first day of summer, gives us a three day weekend, and a time to get together with friends and family, we must remember the soldiers who have died fighting for us - and the ones that are living, too.

If it weren't for them, I don't know where we would be now.

This post is dedicated to the men and women in our military. Thank you. So, so much.

Happy Memorial Day!

-carlotta

miscellaneous ramblings

I really love these kind of posts...If I'm going to be random, at least it's all in one place :) I hope you don't mind!

1. Yesterday we hit the pool for the first time this year. It felt amazing to go swimming - and sort of weird at the same time. It felt like summer would never arrive...and now that it's here...well, let's just say I'm mentally unprepared for it! I'm not complaining though.

(I know...this picture is over edited, but I couldn't resist throwing it in here)

2. Y'all are amazing. I seriously can't believe that I hit 75 followers today! It's crazy. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could get to know so many wonderful bloggers. Thank you so much for making this possible!

3. Yesterday a sweet friend of ours brought over a rainbow cake. Just because. How thoughtful is that?! Didn't she do an amazing job? It tasted amazing too.

4. I'm 95% positive that I'm going to get a Nikon D3000...but I'm still debating between that and the D5000. I don't know if I'm ever going to make up my mind! Sigh... decisions, decisions. 

5. Check out Jeremiah's camouflage. He stuck small bamboo branches in his hat and tucked leaves under the brim. To complete the look, he smeared his face with green face paint. I admit that I laughed when I saw him, though.

6. It's high time for a Sarge update. Our 8 month old Lab/border collie mix is over 60 pounds (Yes. 60 pounds!)...but he thinks he's tiny. He's still a puppy - and acts it - but at the size of some grown dogs, it can get a little crazy when he's excited! He is the sweetest dog, though...he and Lilly love to wrestle. It's hilarious!

-carlotta

a night on the trampoline

Sorry I disappeared for the last 48 hours...I was determined to finish ALL my school for the summer yesterday...and I did it! I worked on school for about 10 hours...but it was worth it :) Summer has arrived!

Last night we (my siblings and I) slept on the trampoline. It was...interesting to say the least.

Lilly and Jeremiah kicked off the night by jumping from the trampoline into the "pool"...

(Not quite sure what he was doing there...)

When it got dark I brought my laptop outside...we watched a TV show on Hulu. Yep, it was really rough "camping".

Sarge - our lab - slept underneath the trampoline...it was so sweet!

We laid back and gazed at the stars. All of a sudden, we saw a streak in the sky - a shooting star! It was my first one, that I can remember at least. It took me a moment to realize what it was...and I missed my chance to make a wish ;)

Once we actually got to sleep...that's a whole 'nother story. I was in the middle and we were on a trampoline...needless to say I was very squished. MeMe was RIGHT next me and my brother was almost on top of me. Ahem. 

Anyway, it was a fun night...but I'm not sleeping on the trampoline with three other people again! :)

How did you spend your Friday night (not squished between siblings on a trampoline, I hope!)?

On a side note, if you haven't already entered in my giveaway, please do so! It's still open for another week (6/5).

-carlotta

it's giveaway time!

Update June 5th at 11:59pm: This giveaway is now closed.


Edited to add: I'm having comment trouble once again...so it may take awhile for your comment to get moderated. Sorry!

Eek! I'm so excited (I'm so excited that I couldn't spell "excited" right)!!!

But wait, I haven't said what I'm so excited about yet. I'm having my first giveaway!!!

(Have I said "excited" enough in this post yet? Five times in two sentences. Sorry. I need to invest in a thesaurus.)

So, what can you win?

BluLima has generously offered to give one lucky reader a 9x12" Keep Calm and Carry On print in a color of their choice (They seriously have EVERY color)!

(More colors available)

I am so jealous.

To enter (mandatory):

To enter in this giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. You don't have to be a follower of my blog or have a blog yourself...it's open to everyone and anyone.

(If you are commenting under anonymous [as opposed to name/url] would you please sign your name at the bottom of your comment? Thank you!)

Extra entries:

Want extra entries?

-Become a follower of my blog (5 extra entries). If you're already a follower - you automatically get 5 extra entries! Please leave a separate comment on this post telling me that you're a follower.

-Blog about this giveaway (4 extra entries). All ya have do is write a little post with a link to this giveaway and you get 2 other entries. Please leave a separate comment on this post telling me that you blogged.

(Three total comments if you decide to do everything)

The winner will be chosen via random.org on Saturday, June 5th.

Have fun and good luck!

-carlotta

splash

Yesterday we got a pool...well, not a real pool, but a little baby pool for the little girls to play in. MeMe and Lilly were so excited about this latest purchase that they set it up right when we got home (with the help of Jeremiah). 

There's something so fun about splashing in a pool, even if it's just a small one. 

If I get everything done, I'm out of school tomorrow!!!!!!!! I'm so excited :) Summer here I come!

Also, stay tuned for my first giveaway later today! (Hey, that rhymed.) 

-carlotta

snapshots from today

Man. It was pretty crazy today...between classes, studying for exams, doing homework, it was exhausting. I took a minute and tried to focus on simplicity. Ha. 

There's still time to link up to Happiness Is (below this post)! There are no link ups yet...isn't the second time you do a blog hop supposed to be more successful than the first? ;)

Oh, and how do you like my new header? 

-carlotta

PS In case you're wondering, the second picture is of the inside of a tilted glass filled with water, and the third is of a knothole in a fence, peaking through to some leaves.

happiness is...

Welcome to Happiness Is! This is the second week that I have it as a blog hop...the rules are simple.

Write a post about two things that made you happy this week (please link back to me so other can join in the fun!) and link up! Please link up directly to your post and not to your main blog page...it makes it harder for people to find your Happiness Is post. :) Thanks!

Happiness is...

...FINALLY getting confirmed! After more than 1 1/2 years, I was very ready to be done with it. Woohoo :)

...orchids. They're my new favorite flower. Read my revelation here :)

Now it's your turn! What are two things that made you happy this week? Link up and have fun!



-carlotta

orchids & photography

5/28 Edited to add: I realize it has now been a few days since I published this post, but I'm going to link up to Macro Friday at Blogging from Bolivia. I'm supposed to specify which picture I want people to vote for; I'm going to go with the last photo. 

yesterday i mentioned that i hadn't been taking as many pictures lately. part of the problem was that i've been stuck in the house and i couldn't find anything else interesting to take pictures of (not counting my siblings. ha.). my parents have two orchids - a white one and a purple one...i was slightly partial to the purple one - in the window seat of their room. i see them everyday, but i had grown so used to them that i didn't really see them anymore. 

today, i actually noticed them. all of a sudden, i had an overwhelming urge to photograph. i bounded up the stairs to my room, grabbed my camera, and ran back to the orchids. 

as i snapped away, i saw them, it seemed, as for the first time. there is something about photography that makes you pay attention to the tiniest detail. that's what i love about photographing everyday things. it's easy to take pictures when everything is - literally - picturesque. if i were in paris i would have no trouble taking beautiful photographs. but it's only when it seems like nothing is "worthy" of a picture that you grow as a photographer (in my opinion). you search for beauty more when it's harder to find. 

when i started project 365 (see my pictures for that challenge here), i had such a hard time finding things to take pictures of. i mean, i could have easily just taken random pictures of my weirdly shaped feet or whatever, but i wouldn't have learned as much if i would have done that. instead, i looked harder for beauty...and do you know what? i found it. i had not so great pictures, and i had pictures i really like, but through both i grew as a photographer.

orchids are now my new favorite flower...they're very good photography teachers :)

okay, so i meant for this post to be much shorter...i really should have been doing homework instead of blogging, but i kind of got carried away there. 

on a side note, tomorrow is happiness is. will i see you there? ;)

happy monday!

-carlotta

homegrown tomatoes (and miscellany monday)

1. Sorry I haven't gotten around to posting sooner. Something is wrong with my wireless receiver on my laptop, so I'm using the computer in our library...and I've been busy all day.

2. Do you mind me writing posts like this occasionally? I like that I can make some sense out of my random thoughts... ;)

3. Our family planted a garden a few weeks ago...everything is growing like crazy.

Tomatoes are okay...they're not my favorite, but I'll eat them. That is, when they're store bought. Give me homegrown tomatoes and I'll eat them like they're going out of style. Yum. I was excited when I saw three or four tomatoes on the vines this afternoon.

I absolutely love basil ahem, my mom just informed me it's mint. That's embarrassing. I love mint too, though :)...but when it's grown in our backyard it's 10,000 times better. As is everything else that's grown by us. Mmm.

4. A week from today, the 31st, I'm starting my volunteer work at the library. It's only two hours three times a week - which doesn't "ruin" my summer at all - so it should be fairly easy. I'm curious to see what it's going to be like...my mom has a degree in library science - she was a librarian for a while - and she's happy that I'm trying this out.

5. I'm loving this weather. Today it was 91 (with a heat index of 98), but I loved that I could just throw on some shorts and a tank top and go outside - without having to worry about being cold. Today my siblings and I jumped on the trampoline with the hose...who needs a pool?! ;)

6. I'm on my last week of school. Can I get a woohoo?!?! I'm so glad. I need to do some school in the summer, though, because of us going to Germany in September. 

7. I haven't been taking as many pictures lately...probably because I've been so busy, but I really miss it. I need to go somewhere that's good for photography and get back into it.

 I've also been dealing with camera envy lately...I'm getting more and more frustrated with my point and shoot. I feel limited with it...it takes SO long just to get one picture and I would really love to be able to experiment with aperture, ISO settings and everything else one can do with a DSLR (Any suggestions for a first DSLR?). I know I don't really NEED a new camera...and I'm trying to be thankful that I even have a camera, I really am. But a girl can dream, can't she? ;)

-carlotta

PS After writing this post, I realized it fit the requirements for Miscellany Monday...so I'm linking up :)

confirmation

I'm done. I'm COMPLETELY done with confirmation! No more quizzing over the catechism, no more memorization...ahh :)

I don't know what was wrong with me during the service. I was laughing at every little thing...I thought I was going to lose it when my friend randomly said something about turtles (Ha!). I don't think I was nervous, but maybe I was and just didn't know it?

My confirmation verse was Romans 8:38-39.

"For I am sure that neither life nor death, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We all had to say our verse. I knew mine perfectly, but when I stepped up to the lectern to say it, I completely blanked out. I was able to remember it fairly quickly, but I messed up on the order of the "nor"s. Sigh.

Blonde act of the day:

As we were about to take communion, I wasn't paying attention and thought I could go forward one more step. I ended up running into the kneeler, hurt my shin, and almost fall into the boy next to me. Nice. 

Although, I am blonde, so what did I expect? ;) I won't even get into when I banged my head on the roof of the car while trying to get in...

I digress.

After the service, there were of course pictures. I really dislike having my picture taken...I'm rarely satisfied with how I look. I prefer being behind the camera. I do like how the above picture of my mom, dad, and I turned out, though. The one good picture of me in all of the pictures :)

Some were asked to see my dress, so here it is...

I just adore it! I love that it's not so fancy that I can wear it again without being overdressed. I'm still stunned - two and a half weeks later - that we were able to find one that I loved and fit! 

How was your Sunday?

-carlotta

perfection

Chocolate ice cream with frozen raspberries?

Perfection.

 Robin (MeMe) and hush-a-bye (Lilly) ballerinas?

Perfection.

Can we talk about Lilly's eyelashes for a second? Two strokes of mascara - which she was only wearing for her ballet performance - and it looks like she has false lashes. It's not fair.

And how cute is MeMe with her missing tooth?!

Having flowers delivered to me for the first time?

Perfection.

Fireworks after a beautiful ballet?

Perfection.

Relaxing with a latte and my laptop?

Perfection.

Fragrant honeysuckle?

Perfection.

-carlotta

lights, camera, action

Today I was a "movie director assistant".

The pro-life group in our city wants a promo video made for the March for Life, and they asked the same man, Austin, that did the video for our church to make it [the video].
My parents volunteered me to be his assistant for the day - today - while he was shooting part of the movie. Honestly, at first I wasn't really that excited about it. Writing down people's names and running errands the whole day? Ehh.
But wouldn't you know...it turned out to be fun. It was really cool to see a different aspect of art - videography (is that a word?) as opposed to photography. And now I know how to fold a reflector! :)

So, here are the steps if you want to become an assistant...

1. Get volunteered by your parents.

2. When the appointed day arrives, drag yourself out of bed at 7:15am.

3. Help Austin find a good spot for shooting.

4. Have your little brother (aka The Voice of Doom...read the comment section of this post to find out what I'm talking about) sit in the chair to test the lighting and camera.

5. Wait for people to arrive.

6. Find out that there's going to be a meeting regarding what's going to be in the video before shooting.

7. Sit through a three hour meeting.

8. Help your dad order pizza for everyone for lunch.

9. Go to thirty minutes of a 1 1/2 hour study session.

10. Find out that Austin is already shooting and leave the study session. Make a mental note to listen to the archive later.

11. Race upstairs to where the interviews are being set up.

12. Marvel at how professional everything looks, from light reflectors to bright lights.

13. Get handed a boom microphone.

14. Hold the microphone over the person being interviewed, then find out that you have to wear headphones.

15. Since your hands are full with holding the boom mic, have Austin put the headphones on your head.

16. Realize how high quality the headphones are (Seriously...they were to make sure that the mics were picking up the sound. Oh my gosh. I could hear EVERYTHING. It was pretty cool, even though I probably looked like an absolute dork.).

17. Look around and wish you had your camera. Ask The Voice of Doom to get it for you. The little stinker says no. Think, "There go the pictures for my blog post."

18. You're relieved when you get a break from holding the microphone.

19. Hold the microphone again.

20. After the interviews, help put all the equipment away.

21. Realize that folding a reflector isn't as easy as it looks. It took me about 10 times with everyone watching me. Talk about embarrassing.

22. Go home, and die of the 90 degree heat.

23. Relax at home with your laptop, an ice cold latte, and the Jack Johnson station. Ahh.

What was your Friday like? Did anyone else make a movie? ;)

-carlotta

my first vlog

I bit the bullet and did it. Made my first vlog, that is.

Brace yourself for the weirdness (You might want to be prepared to take cover.).

Ugh. What did my camera do to my face?! My lips look strangely red.

And I hope you don't get nightmares from the creepy face at the end...sigh.

-carlotta

happy in my new shoes

1. I am FINISHED with science for the summer (except for one exam)!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay times 1,000,000,000.

2. I went shopping for shoes again today...and I was successful! (Read about my shoe sorrows here) I got these shoes. I was actually hoping for some wedges, but I saw those shoes and couldn't resist. When we go to Germany in September I'll get some wedges...last time we were there they had a TON for 5 Euros (roughly six dollars) 

I also an adorable purse - see above picture. (it had been a while...I had primer on my old purse and it was looking a bit raggedy...).

3. It thunder stormed today...yay!

4. Along the lines of number 3, I'm writing this post from the basement as we're done here because of multiple tornado warnings in our area. Thank goodness for laptops and wireless internet! 

5. MeMe lost her first tooth today (Can you see the hole in the middle of her bottom teeth?). She actually first discovered it was loose last night...it was already ready to fall out. This morning while eating an orange, it came right out!

6. Lilly did push ups today...she was much better than I am! I am hopeless when it comes to arm strength. I think she made it to "15"...counting "1, 2, 4, 9, 15"

7. I love celery. That is all.

8. My first blog hop was a success in my opinion...4 links on the first time isn't bad at all. It's still open, so if you want to write a Happiness Is post, by all means, please do!

Edited to add: I've been having some problems with my comments...so if you left a comment and it didn't ever show up, that's why. I'm not rejecting your comments :)

Signing off from stormy Oklahoma,

-carlotta

happiness is...

Welcome to Happiness Is! Today I'm going to put up a MckLinky...the rules are simple. Just write a post with two things that made you happy this week and link up! Please link directly to your post, and not your blog, and please link back to me so others can join in the fun!

Let's get started!

Happiness is...

...walking into the living room to see this. It cracked me up...and she had never even heard the song before! (She's pretending to sing the song)

...finding a peach tree in our yard! These are still "baby" peaches that had already fallen off the tree, but hopefully we'll be getting ripe peaches this summer...mmm.

-carlotta

magnolia flowers

I'm sorry. I can't help but post pictures of flowers. Well, at least I'll have something to look at when, you know, it's 102 outside and we're about to die from the heat. Yep. I'm enjoying spring while I can.

-carlotta