Weekly Wears: Twinkle

Dress: c/o Choies;  Tights: c/o Choies;  Skirt (under dress): ModCloth;  Clogs: Lotta;  Scarf: Vintage

So, who else was obsessed with stars in the 90s?  Oh right... everyone.  I was really into making bracelets as a kid (uh, and teenager) and I remember my favorite beads were those glow-in-the-dark star beads.  You knew I REALLY liked you if your bracelet had one of those.  I still have a handful of them stashed away in my "special box".  I told you... I'm a saver. 

You know my 90s-loving heart fell hard for this dress.  I couldn't even help myself.  It's a little on the shorter side for this lady, so I tucked a soft and stretchy skirt underneath.  Problem solver I am.

I hope you all are having a lovely week so far!

Let's Talk Cameras

Okay, I probably should have titled this "Let's Talk About My Camera".  I really can't comment a lot on other cameras, as I've been using the same model for many years.  Once upon a time (a LONG time ago), I had aspirations of being a professional photographer.  I bought lots of books and spent a short time apprenticing under a talented photographer.  I thought it was something I really wanted to do.  I shot many weddings and families and eventually decided that shooting for fun was more for me.  I would get way too stressed when wedding time approached, terrified that I would miss someone's special moment.  Oh yeah... and then there was that one time I somehow misplaced my CF card after I shot a wedding.  I eventually found it, but that is something I don't want to revisit.  Like, ever.

Now to the camera part.  I bought a (used) Canon 20D because of a recommendation from the photographer I was apprenticing under, and shot with it for years.  If you are a youngster (you know, younger than me) you may not even know these ever existed.  It's been a while.  Anyway, my trusty sidekick eventually just stopped working, and my oh-so thoughtful husband found me ANOTHER used one.  Guys, I have seriously been using this model for what seems like forever.  I tell you this because I get a lot of emails asking what kind of camera equipment I use, and sharing is caring.  It doesn't take a lot of money to get crisp/high quality photos-- the initial investment can sting, but my camera is something I use almost everyday and have been for years.  I do have a very nice lens that I use: a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 the majority of the time, but for most of my Snapshots posts and anything that isn't an outfit post or at my home, I just use the stock lens it came with. 

I'm finally upgrading!  This week I have a Canon 60D on its way, as well as a 35mm lens!  It wasn't a suuuuper hard sell, but I know Johnny was thinking, "You have a camera that works just fine." Sometimes a girl needs to add a little fancy to her rig.  Really though, I'm excited for a nice, light(er)weight lens that allows me to carry my camera in my purse a lot more... OH!  And the video capabilities... I'm totally excited to try my hand at making pretty videos!  I'll also be investing in a 50mm lens a little down the road.  I use the 35mm at work (at ABM) a lot and know that I love it, so that one gets to be first. 

I know this question may also come up, so I will just say that I DO use Photoshop.  I truly believe it is worth the money.  So, if you are on the fence about that, you have my two cents.

Thanks for letting me ramble about my camera.  I seriously can't wait for the new one to arrive.  I haven't bought a BRAND NEW camera since the first generation Rebel DSLRs, so it's going to feel like Christmas and Birthday all rolled up into one!

Easter Traditions: Part 2

Every Easter we start the day before the sun rises.  The girls check out what the Easter bunny brought them and then have an Easter egg hunt around the house with the eggs we dyed days earlier.  After the eggs are found and much candy is consumed (Mama always says "yes" on Easter!) we get dressed and head to church.

We follow church with a family lunch with Johnny's brother and parents, the girls hunt MORE eggs, and then we head to my mom's for a little more celebrating.  By the end of the day we are completely exhausted, but it's worth it.  As you can probably tell, family is really important to us and I couldn't skip any of these traditions.

 Poesy and I crashed big time after all the excitement was over.  I think we had our fill for a while.

I let the girls choose their own dresses this year... meaning Poesy tried hers on and refused to take it off, insisting she was a ballerina princess.  I think every once-in-a-while a girl just needs a giant fluffy dress.  ;)  My dress was from ModCloth.  It's out of stock now (sorry!) so I'm really glad I got a chance to snag it when I did.

Just for fun, here is our Easter post from last year.  The girls look a lot bigger to me now.  Bittersweet.  

Easter Traditions: Part 1

This year the weather decided to be AMAZING the day we were going to color eggs, so we took our egg dyeing to the porch.  This made Mama (me) extra happy, because I didn't have to worry about any spills inside of the house.  We opened up the windows, put on a record, and truly enjoyed it.  Well, most of us did... Poesy wasn't really that into it.  She mostly just colored the same egg with the same marker the whole time.  In keeping with her typical self, Hope was into it enough for the both of them (and everyone else).  ;)

It felt like a really perfect day.  We always dye our eggs a few days before Easter, but I know a lot of people who dye them on Easter.  Do you have any special egg dyeing traditions?