apartyofseven

its saturday caption day...Huzzah!

its that time again....a little impromtu racing...you know what to do :)

 

The alphabet project...

so this is the first of my photography challenges. This is my personal project but anyone else is welcome to join in. I was inspired by seeing an american portrait photographer do this. The idea is to take pictures of each of the letters of the alphabet. Easy you say? a quick walk down a high street and you have them all. Mais, non.

This has to be things that are not letters. You have to try and find the letters in shapes, figures, shadows...whatever. Im trying to not do the 'get a person to hold two sticks and you have a k' thing too. But hey...im not big on rules so if you want to go with it, get on board. 

Im going to do this with my iphone and through instagram. Im @apartyofseven on instgram. Come follow me and join in if you like. It will be with the hashtage #alphabetproject. Im going to post them as i find them but then stick them in a mosiac all together. I will use a photoshop template for this which you can have if you would like to do the same. Just leave me a comment. Of course you don't have to use an iphone or instagram but if you are joining in please do let me know....somehow.  I think ill probably do an alphabet review post once a week...have no idea really how long it will take. 

So..thats my project. If you want to join in. cool. if not. cool. 

whateves 

:)

So here is my first....the letter 'e'

A break up letter....

It tough putting this into words. Its a bit heartbreaking right now. You see you didnt have much time for me, I had to work to hard to get your attention. 

I had admired you from afar for so many years, so many times all i could do was watch from a distance but then....you were coming. You were going to be here, with me, with us. Bringing your special magic and wonder and my heart was filled with the possibility of meeting you face to face.

There were those first messages of interest, little snippets of what was coming, excitement rising. Hope rising. But then it seemed that the truth was different. 

There were times when you tempted me with the possibility of spending time with you and I began to dream. But then the hard facts like stone in my inbox.  You had time for others. Im trying not to be jealous. I know they have more money and more influence. But it hurts. I had believed you cared about the ordinary...but it seems now that there was no space for me in your heart. 

I waited and I waited....I hoped and prayed but there was nothing from you. Tantalising emails with empty, inspirational words which in my heart i knew were shallow promises but i just. didn't. stop. hoping. I kept going back for more...more chances? more disppointment.....you had nothing left for me.  

But now, its the third time...its harder, the disappointment still swirling my soul, i see you everywhere, images and pictures that taunt me and what once had my heart swelling with pride now leaves me with that now oh so familiar sour taste in my mouth. 

Oh i didn't listen to the others who told me you were no good, that you would give me nothing in return, that you were asking such a high price for what you offered. What a fool i was to believe in the dream, in your promises. We all believed. 

I still love you, I know that there is a part of you that has nothing to do with this nonsense and i still. really. love. that.

Ill get over it, i can't see you in person but i can realise that its not about those precious tickets that me, we to, can come to the party.  I'm bigger than that... and i will cheer you on and shout your name and have my heart puff with pride and look you in the eye. But just for now. Its all a bit bittersweet. 

 

 

 

and the WINNER is:

 

Becky from Lakes Single Mum. 

Woop! Becky you win a family of four ticket to Legoland discovery Centre in Manchester. Thanks so much everyone for taking part! I would really recommend visiting the centre if you get a chance. Our kids loved our day there. Also very handy for a bit of sneaky retail therapy as well as its in the Trafford Centre. 

Becky if you contact me ill pass on the details of the ticket and who to contact at the centre. 

:)

 

#thegallery...

this week the theme is mornings...i really love mornings. I am a morning person. I am also a late night person..which sometimes results in a bit of a 'lack of sleep' thing going on. 

anyways..my mornings..5 days a week, main focus is the school run. OH leaves early for his own school and then im left to get 5 kids (and now a dog) ready for the 15 minute walk to school.....

and there are some days when i am so so grateful for my oldest daughter and her incredibly helpful attitude. Sometimes i dont even ask this kid to help. she just. does. it. 

Every day i ask the older ones to help get the little ones shoes on.....which sometimes is a bit of a harder job especially when small sibling is being a bit of a monkey and won't actually let them put their shoes on. 

When that happens, things tend to go south fairly quick.......

but this is an everyday happening in our house. Every morning. 

ADAY was today...

Today was the day to photography your day. Don't know what im talking about, well you can go here to find out. 

I had high hopes for taking some really cool images and submitting them but the reality is that having worked a 12 hour night shift last night all i wanted to do was sleep. a lot. 

So... this evening, i shot one image..yes one sad little shot but it tells a bit of our everyday story. 

After school on tuesdays we do swimming, then its home for showers/hairwashing and pj's. Once the little ones are in bed there was time for some milk before bedtime. look at that sweet sleepy smile. 

This is the image i submitted. Its not fabulous but it tells a bit about a very ordinary day and there is a strong liklihood that everyone's ordinary days will make something pretty extraordinary. 

Did you join in? There is still time, they are accepting submissions for a while and if you havent taken a shot, grab your camera..you have a little time left. 

Be part of something. 

See it, Snap it, LOVE IT.

I do really like a theme for photography...over at dear beautiful boy the theme is reflection. I remembered this photography i took when i got my first macro lens and i was actually just going for the detail you get from using a macro lens and the reflection was just a happy accident i discovered when i loaded the photo into lightroom. 

and i couldn't resist sharing this, one of my other favourite reflections. I almost love the reflection of this image more than what the photograph is meant to be showing. This was my eldest daughter when she was in her first ballet show, she was 5 and the ballet school hired a professional photographer to take pictures of the girls and as i was working it was OH who had to go and take the girls for the pictures with instructions to take some shots of her before the professional did. We knew the pro shots were going to be super pricey!

So i love the fact that you can see the OH using the camera (that doesnt happen very often AT ALL) and then my two other little ones spining and grinning in the mirror reflection. 

 

whats your mission statement...

i was asked this by a fellow blogger and it got me thinking...

my first reaction (being honest here) was a bit of a shudder. I did a 4 year business degree and the words 'mission statement' came up A LOT.....

Something we had to create for every assignment, scrap paper and visit to the shop (it felt like) so i would say that i had thought my out loud response would be  i steer 'away' from mission statements. But then i looked around and thought...er....ummmm...maybe i don't. 

We have these words in our kitchen/diner:

and whilst i wouldn't say it was a 'mission statement' as the kids are learning to read and i have heard them suddently notice it and read it, it sounds right, like its a truth that they should have in their environment every day..soaking into their sub conscious..and hopefully instilling in them that having it all sorted isnt as important as the value of their family. 

Then i thought of this..and this is so special to me that I have it as  my screen saver of my mac, where i do most of my photo editing and blogging. So i spend a good deal of time here. I saw it initially and thought it was a cool kids thing but i like it all the more, the more often i see it, whenever my mac sleeps....because really as adults we need to be reminded of so much of what is here..especially the 'chew and swallow' bit. bwahaha

and rather superficially id like to have the room too..i bet there is a stonking great window behind that chair with an incredible sea view, a terrace and a table with a cold glass of vino on it with my name on it. 

Now ive shown you mine, will you show me yours? 

 

:)

Inspired.....

 

When you spend time following pro photographers and checking out their stuff, like me, you would think I would get inspired right? Well not all the time, sometimes..but a LOT of the time i get totally intimidated by their knowledge, equipment and general 'out of reachedness' feeling that it leaves me with. These guys have spent years and years and years learning their craft and its right in a way that their stuff should be WAY out there. 

But this past weekend i watched a series of seminars that really did leave me inspired. Inspired to do something for me. (and eventually others but thats a bit more in the planning stages)

But back to me.  Just me. I have taken part in loads of photography meme's and i really do love them and have no plan to stop taking part but when i had this idea i thought...'ooh i could do a meme' and then immediately i thought...'ah but who would join in?, would anyone join in? would i be the billy no mates of the meme world?' 

and then this amazing, clear, incredibly simple idea came to me.

"who cares?"

and I realised that what i want to get out of doing this project is something for me..actually,  not to get more readers, more followers or better stats. So that is what i am going to and i will share it here, or on my soon to be new blog once i can stop banging wordpress on the wall *itwillworkitwillwork!*

I am NOT knocking the photography link ups AT ALL. Since i have done them, I have come across some blogs that i just love and im proud to call some new folks my online friends. Which is why i will continue with it. But it can draw you away from why you actually write what you do.....*must join in, more readers, more followers, better stats*...etc...

So im exicted. This is my 'project' and anyone who wants to copy the idea and do it to..thats cool. Jump on this 'ole bandwagon. There is no pressure (for me or you) and there just maybe a cold beer and some cheese and onion crisps.

and in a 'West Wing' stylie:

to be continued............

 

 

#silentsunday 13/05