Reminder: I've got a book giveaway going on here. Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win.
Things really aren't slowing down much, but I've got a much better handle on them right now, which -- honestly? -- is the best I can ask for at the moment. While I normally use my "Ten on Tuesday" posts to round up a nice batch of eye-candy and inspiration for you all, I thought I'd highjack this week's post to play catch up. Enjoy.
1. Fall is right around the corner, and I'm so excited. It's my favorite time of year, and it never fails to just make me feel good. All the time. This weekend was rainy, for the most part, so we spent all day Sunday at home. I caught up on work, we cooked chili, I lit a few pumpkin spice candles, and we just generally enjoyed the day.
2. Even the flower selection at the grocery store is heralding the arrival of a new season. Look at these beauties I picked up over the weekend.
3. Of course, that meant I had to do some more practicing with my new conversion lens. See how small those yellow blossoms are? Now check out the zoom action here:
I absolutely love this lens -- I could sit for hours and find tiny things to take pictures of.
4. At this point, I have given a presentation about preparing for the PLAN test (which is a pre-ACT test mandated by the state of Kentucky) at least 50 times. I have decided that when the girls have gone off to college and flown the nest, so to speak, I will go to work for ACT.
5. Cassidy had her first cross-country meet of the season on Saturday. The weather was decent, until about 2/3 of the way through the race, which was a 4K. Then it started raining. Just a steady downpour. She was so nervous before the race, and I think that kept her from starting off as strong as she should've done, which meant she had to work a lot harder during the race to make up time. However, she passed a LOT of people and ended up finishing 30th out of more than 50 girls. She found out after the race that had she finished in the top 25, she would've gotten a medal. She did a fantastic job, though, and really pushed so hard and didn't give up. I can see that she's made amazing progress since last year, and I was so proud of her.
6. I got to take some pictures of this little guy last weekend; this is my nephew Oliver. I haven't gotten around to proofing his pictures yet -- that's on the to-do list for this week. Here's a peek at one of my very favorite shots, though:
7. I'm getting excited about scrapbooking again. While I was designing, I never had time to create my own pages. I've got a whole list of stories jotted down in my notebook, and I'm so ready to start working on them. I even have some mini-albums and photo books planned, which is a new area for me. There are some great new products out that have really gotten me excited about scrapping again; two of my favorite recent releases are by Paislee Press. I think Liz does beautiful work, and her mix of modern and vintage designs is just the kind of look I'd love to have in my house. I would love to turn her papers into a fabric line so that I could make a patchwork quilt for my bed.
8. I've been editing pictures like a madwoman over the past three days. I got behind because work got really busy, and it took me two weeks to get to Katy and Rob's pictures of their family, as well as Mindy's pictures of Dax. I'll be posting more from the session at a later date, but here are a couple favorites I wanted to share:
9. I have quite a backlog of book reviews to get to, so look for those to be spread out over the next couple of weeks. They'll be popping up sporadically among the regular blog posts (yes, I'm back on a regular schedule now -- I've missed being in this space with those of you who have stuck around).
10. I'm really excited about some travel opportunities coming up. I'll be visiting Cincinatti in November, Houston in February, and if things work out, Ireland in May for a study abroad opportunity. I'm thrilled beyond words about that chance, and I'm excited about the other two trips, for the simple fact that these are two places I've never been before. There's always something interesting and new to see, I think, no matter where you are going.
