A New Day, & I'm Feelin' Good

I have commitment issues.

Occasionally, I try to make commitments to this blog. For example, I'm going to take, and post, a new photo with a predetermined theme each day this month. I'm going to update with my weekly/monthly weight loss progress regularly. I'm going to graduate with my shiny science degree, and then have a baby.

Welp. That didn't quite pan out as I'd planned. Life happens, and this month has been full of it (life happenings, and well, poop).

I have, however, managed to keep some very important commitments. I am very committed, and happily married, to my Mountain Man. I've also kept my commitments as Frank's mommy, and to the rest of the critters who share our living space. I've kept my commitment to feeling better about myself, and have completed my running plan! WOOHOO! Who has two thumbs and can complete a solid 20-minute run, sans puking? This girl. Now it's time to work that up to a solid 30, then see about fitting three miles into that half hour (color run, here I come!).

My weight has been steady, sitting around at 267. No major gains, and no losses. But hey, that's alright. I'm making progress in other ways that some number cannot measure. Frankly, the scale can go screw itself. Speaking of weight loss, and my body (and my body image issues that I've carried around with me my entire life), I have been looking at myself in all wrong ways. (WOAH. I know what you're all thinking, who would do such a thing?) I have approached this weight loss with the wrong attitude. I even said that I would not, under any circumstances, purchase a bigger pair of jeans. Why would I put that ridiculous restraint on myself? My body has changed. I had a baby for crying out loud. It's time I backed into this from another angle. It's time to start dressing my body for how it is right now, this very second, and loving my body for how it is right now. I've always had this mentality of, "I will love myself more if I could just lose [insert number] more pounds. Then I will really be beautiful."

If I heard any of this bull come out of my friends' collective mouths, I'd slap 'em. Not really, guys. But, isn't it time that I start holding myself to these standards, instead of the ones set by society?

May 17: Black & White

I've been wanting to take this shot (or a similar one) for a while. Now that Frankie is sitting up on his own, I was finally able to! This is more of a rough draft, but it's just about all of the sitting still he would tolerate. He was more focused on eating the bears. 

1/320, 3.5, ISO 400

May 16: Something Soft

Imogen (& the fish).

May 15: Up Close

 Rye

May 14: Looking Down

I played blog hookie yesterday. Besides, the topic was "in your house," and you've all seen a decent chunk of the inside of my house in this blog already. In fact, this picture of Frankie is in my house.

May 11+12: Derailment: Parts Three & Four

I spent yesterday's morning grocery shopping, and yesterday's afternoon running around taking photographs of eight prom-goers. I've been busy uploading and editing away, so I missed yesterday's "in your bag" blog photo update (I know!). In lieu of  today's "in your yard" photo, these are my favorites from yesterday. Oh, and did I mention one of these attendees is my favorite (only) little sister? All of that cool you see in her, she definitely gets from me.

May 10: Something That Represents You

This is my little slice of the living room. 

I feel that it represents me pretty well, if not just my aesthetic. 

For a few years, this room was unused, except to hold a lot of junk. We'd torn the carpet up, thinking we were going to replace the floor in no time. We even had the cash saved up to do so. Of course, something came up, then something else came up. And again, something else came up. So that cash was gone, lightening fast. Eventually, we had the money put away again. Mountain Man and I got to work clearing out all of the random stuff, and I picked out some paint. I sat on the floor, very pregnant, and scooted around on a cardboard box (on my butt) to paint the bottom half of the walls. I let the man handle the tall stuff (I wasn't about to climb any ladders). Then, the day of my baby shower, Mountain Man and my dad got to work installing the new flooring throughout this room, the kitchen, the hallway, and the office. After a few minor emergencies, and a few weekends, it was all finished.

 

1. The wall. Pregnant/Nesting Tiffani spent an hour with these things on the floor, rearranging them over and over again. Then, she directed as Mountain Man held them up against the wall.
   "Is this where you want it?"
   "A little to the left. No, too far. Down a little. Right there! Well.. maybe to the right just a hair. Did you already put the nail in?"
   In the upper-left-hand corner hangs the Valentine's Day card baby Frank and I made with his footprints. I hung that one. Most of these are refurbished goodwill treasures, and then in the bottom right-hand-corner, a photo of Mountain Man and I from our first year together.
2. The side-table. I constantly clean this table top, but the same crap always ends up on it. Right now, there's a teething ring, Frank's poly-vi-sol and saline, my coffee cup and breakfast plate from this morning, baby lotion, other odds and ends, and ketchup. I hate to see that bottle of ketchup there, because Mountain Man loves to taunt me, saying that I eat ketchup on everything. Of course it would end up on my table (I don't really eat ketchup on everything, but Mountain Man eats ketchup on just about nothing).
3. The lid. This is where I generally stash a few diapers, and wipes. Sometimes it gets just as cluttered as my side-table. Currently, there are several photography books, my camera cleaning kit and bag, those diapers and wipes I previously mentioned, and Eat Pray Love. I'm only just getting around to reading it. I know, I'm about a million years late.
4. The yarn box. This box is almost overflowing with yarn, all of my half-finished (or hardly started) crochet projects, crochet patters, and hooks. Poking out between the couch and the box is the most used phone charger in our house.

It's still a living-room-in-progress, but it's where Frank and I spend most of our time. I take most of my Frankie photos here, drink just about all of my coffee here, feed the baby here, change diapers here, nap here, watch movies here, eat here.. the whole nine yards.

May 9: Derailment: Part Two

This one is supposed to be "yummy," but I didn't feel like being that creative today. Frank had his six-month check-up, so we spent a good chunk of the day in the car and running into buildings through the rain. On the downside, the appointment interrupted nap time and delayed Frankie's mid-morning snack (and we may have gotten a few fun shots) which greatly displeased him. On the upside, we got to visit Grandma and Nana while we were in the neighborhood. When we finally made it back home, Frank took a monster nap, ate some green beans, and grew bored of playing in his exersaucer. Mountain Man and I decided it was time we busted out the blocks. 
They came as a gift in a package of baby things from Michigan when I was very, very pregnant, and they have been poised on his dresser looking lovely for over six months. These blocks are seriously the bee's knees (and will probably serve as study tools later, like when he's a teenager and thinks he knows everything). Maybe he'll like science too.

1/50, 3.5, ISO 1600

May 8: Something You Can't Live Without

I drink at least two cups of coffee a day. Usually, it's three.
I don't know that I could keep up with two dogs, one baby (who is now officially on the move, though not crawling just yet) and a husband without, at minimum, two of those cups.

To go about my day-to-day activities as they are now, I simply cannot live without coffee (never mind that it's completely delicious and I'd drink it decaf if I didn't seriously need at least some caffeination in my life).

On a different note, I love capturing reflections like this one of Frank in the mirror on his toy.
 

When choosing where to photograph my coffee this morning, I saw the light (literally), and decided to leave it be. Behold, the lamp in my cup-o-joe! See what I mean? Reflections are super cool.

 

1/80, 3.5, ISO 1600

May 7: Derailment

May 7th's blog post within the photo challenge is supposed to include a photograph of shoes.


I had this intention as we went outside. I ended up taking zero pictures of shoes, but a lot of pictures of Frank. And, ladybugs.

You're welcome.

This gem was the best kind of accident. My finger slipped when I was focusing and clicked early.

May 6: Geometric

Two toys, two different ways.

1/50, 3.5, ISO 1600

May 5: Something That Makes You Happy

Well, that isn't broad.

I've chosen this photograph of Frankie and Mountain Man.

I shot some family pictures for my mother-in-law in bluebonnets, and when I took this one, it was well into Frank's nap time and he had just demanded to be picked up.

Even though I did not take it today, this is easily one of my favorite pictures of all time, and absolutely makes me very happy.

May 4: Green

Today's photo adventure took me straight outside. I was focusing on the various vegetation inhabiting our backyard, but this one turned out to be my favorite shot. It's pretty green, never mind that it's really a picture of Monty, the little red dog.

1/50, 3.5, ISO 100

May 3: What Inspires You

Today is Mountain Man's birthday.
He inspired this collection of shots I took of baby Frank.

Yeah, yeah. I know I'm trying to take pictures featuring subjects other than Frankie, but what can I say? I'm a sucker.

May 2: Something You Made

As tempted as I was to use a photo of Frank for today (after all, I did, in fact, have a hand in making him), here is a glimpse of a small art project I started the year before baby Frank. We do not have a headboard, so I set out to fill the space above our bed with dreamcatchers. I've made four to date. I should probably get back on that.

The lighting in my bedroom is yucky, so I super-bumped the ISO to compensate. I don't mind the grain here.

1/40, 3.5, ISO 1600

May Photo Challenge: Intro/ May 1: Flower

I find this unnecessary to say, but in the off chance you may not have noticed, a pretty solid 94% of my photographs (+/-) feature the one and only baby Frank. In order to build a well-rounded collection, I need to branch out (which is difficult because he's just so dang adorable). For this reason, and the fact that I've always had the urge but have not participated in one until now, I looked at a 31-day photo challenge for the month of May and thought, "challenge, accepted."

May 1, 2013
Flower

An up-close view of tiny lavender blooms in my window. 1/320, 5.6, ISO 800




Of course, just for good measure, I have to throw in a recent Frank photo :)