Loving Life As A Mother

Farewell Brisbane

2011-11-19T22:34:00.000+10:00

We arrived 4 years ago... a family of 3... an adventure waiting to be had.
You shocked me with your intense summer humidity and heat... and those late afternoon summer storms? Whoa! But you enamoured me with your beautifully mild winters and all was forgiven...

You gave us so much to do in the outdoors... the beaches, the long drives, the theme parks, the pools, the parks and playgrounds... Although the myriad of wildlife that accompanied it all (cane toads, green ants, midgies and mosquitos) I could have done without...

We discovered and enjoyed frequenting our favourite eatery haunts - Trang's, Gelati Cremonia, Brett's Wharf, Movenpick, Sushi Sushi...

We grew our family... and you have been the a perfect place to begin to raise a family... the only place my girls have really known as home...

You gave me the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people... who became wonderful friends...

Tomorrow we leave... now a family of 4... we have had a wonderful time in this relaxed, laid-back welcoming city... Thank you for the memories Brisbane... You will always have a special place in my heart.

Poor Neglected Blog

2011-10-22T21:02:00.002+10:00

With 4 weeks to go 'til our move I've been busy... so my poor blog has been neglected... but a quick update on a few things that have been happening...

1. I lasted 9 months, but I'm sad to say that I have fallen off the photo-a-day wagon... I really wanted to able to see the year out, but unfortunately life has just got in the way... That and I somehow managed lose the first week of October photos that I was sure I downloaded onto the computer but vanished somewhere... While I'm disappointed I didn't make it through, I don't regret for one second undertaking this project and not being able to finish it... I started it with the intention of improving my skills... changing the way I think, the way I see light and composition, the mental creative side of it all, and I think I can say, this year has been my year of enlightenment and it's enabled me to take that step to the next level... I already have a new project lined up for next year, so you'll have to stay tuned to find out all about that!

2. Catherine turned 17 months yesterday! She's almost 1.5 years old! Wowsers! Really?! She's learning more and more things everyday... She can now walk and take a step off a single step (up and down)... She used to pause everytime she came to a step and just wait for someone to help her, but she's figured out how to keep her balance now. Her latest trick involved batting her eyelashes... She will sometimes just look at you and then deliberately blink her eyes several times and then give you the most heart melting smile... She totally knows it melts me...

3. We had a garage sale today... we had so much junk to get rid off... made $300 in the process so it was a worthwhile exercise.

4. I've packed up probably 1/3 of the house up and starting to reach a point where I don't think I can pack much more stuff because we actually need it...

5. I have 2 shoots left in Brisbane... one tomorrow... and one next weekend and that's it for Brisbane... Can't believe it's coming to an end so soon.

6. I'm now the proud owner of a 50mm f/1.2L which is (like most photography gear) a rather expensive lens... but Phan was stalking some online forums and saw one come up that was only 5 weeks old and asking 25% off the retail price, so we snapped that up. I had a chance to go out and shoot my girls yesterday with it and it's beautiful and significantly different from the 1.4 version... I sense this is going to be my new favourite lens... :)

7. It's hard to believe I only launched my business 3 weeks ago 'cos I've had such an amazing reception that it feels like so much longer! I'm almost booked out for the first 6 months on my return to Adelaide so it's going to be a busy start to 2012.

8. My girls are growing up so fast... they make me laugh so much... Some photos that I need to share...

Catherine my bogan baby... She's wearing a one piece hand-me-down singlet suit that has seen better days and is all stretchy and saggy in the nappy area... She's also pottering around in the grass barefoot... I find that there's something beautifully organic about this photo... No pretty clothes, no props... just realness...

She spotted a plane in the sky that same day... was totally fascinated by it.

These photos taken yesterday afternoon when I went out to try out the new 50mm 1.2... It's been a while since I took the girls out for a shoot (just haven't had the time lately), so it was nice to spend an afternoon pottering around at the park... Catherine has also gotten infinitely more mischievous since the last time we went out on a shoot as she now runs away and tries to climb onto playground equipment! I now need eyes in the back of my head!

Things To Smile About...

2011-10-07T14:16:00.003+10:00

In what is a seriously depressing real estate market, we are pretty happy that our house sold in just over 2 weeks! (Excuse the photo, it was just snapped with the iphone).

I'm still on the photo-a-day band wagon... just seriously lacking in time to edit them and post them on the blog... but I'll quickly share this snap, which makes me laugh... And yes, I'm fully aware, she's going to hate me for taking this photo when she's older... LOL...

And lastly... It also seems that I won that fun contest for the favourite photo for September over at Click It Up A Notch... Thanks to everyone to voted for me! :) Here's the photo again... :)

Happy days... and now I have to go do some more packing!

Click It Up A Notch - September Favourite Photo

2011-10-01T22:22:00.000+10:00

Click It Up A Notch is running their monthly post up your favourite photo contest and I just can't resist entering this photo...

This photo rates up there in my top 10 photos of all time at the moment... The pier is one of the prettiest ones I've ever seen... and while usually I shy away from harsh shadows, I love the shadows cast from the railing and I think it actually makes the photo.

Do you have a favourite photo for September? Why not share it as well in the Click It Up A Notch Contest?

Time To Finally Reveal ...

2011-10-01T15:41:00.004+10:00

I have just been itching to share this news with everyone, but I've been waiting for the right time to come and finally, the right time is now!

Regular readers of my blog may have noticed, while I've still been doing updates on the blog, the blog posts have not been anywhere near as frequent as earlier in the year. Well, that's mostly been due to a project I've been working on behind the scenes and I'm excited to announce that I'm officially launching my business - Heart Inspired Photography.

To coincide with the start of October, I launched last night on Facebook (feel free to head over to the Heart Inspired Photography Fan Page and "like" it) and thsi afternoon I launched over on my business blog-site... you can read all about how the journey over here -

http://www.heartinspiredphotography.com/blog/2011/10/01/the-official-launch-and-how-this-all-came-to-be/

I will still be continuing this blog, at least until the end of this year while Photo-A-Day 2011 is still continuing... but if you would like to follow me on my business blog, there will be lots of interesting things popping up on there too.

Thank you to all my readers for dropping in and following my stories and photography... xo

Photo A Day - September - Week 3

2011-09-23T18:00:00.000+10:00

Yes, I'm just trying to get caught up with the photo a day -

September 15 - The Boxes Are Here
The boxes arrived today and we're beginning the process of packing... It's already been interesting with Catherine deciding she likes to sit on flat boxes which makes it impossible to extract them from under her and tape them up so we can use them! This is why we're starting early!

September 16 - Up Close With A Dirt Bike
I got the opportunity to get up close with a dirt bike today... :)

September 17 - The Wind In Her Face
Catherine loves having wind blown in her face... sometimes Elizabeth will just blow in her face to make her laugh... Here Daddy is fanning a book in her face and she loves the feeling of the wind....

September 18 - Snuggles In Bed
Early morning snuggles in our bed for everyone...

September 19 - Decluttered
Our house is decluttered... anyone who knows what our house normally looks like with kiddie toys everywhere would be impressed... :p

September 20 - Admiring Her Sister's Artwork
Catherine is obsessed with Elizabeth's artwork... she loves looking at it... pointing at it... She even walks around holding it as if she's trying to pass it off as her own...

September 21 - Little Miss 16 Months
She was just like a doll when she was born and 16 month later, she's still a doll... a cheeky one... but she still so perfectly adorable.

Photo A Day - September - Week 2

2011-09-22T21:02:00.004+10:00

I am sooo behind with the blogging... still managing to keep up the photo-a-day, but it's seriously hitting crazy stations around here getting ready for our move back to Adelaide and I've fallen a bit behind with the processing... Decided to take some time out tonight and try and catchup on some photos...

September 8 - Morning Ritual
A completely technically terrible photo (out of focus and all), but this photo speaks volumes of our mornings... both girls brush their teeth every morning now and Catherine is actually obsessed with her toothbrush (she likes to wander in and point at it 'cos she wants it)... and Elizabeth likes to brush her teeth with Catherine... she gets upset if Catherine brushes her teeth without her... It's drama city here some mornings!

September 9 - Checking the Mailbox
She thinks she's so clever... (oh and yes, this was from one of my first plays with the fish-eye)

September 10 - Press The Button
Auntie Thao came to visit us this weekend and came bearing the most wonderful gifts for all of us (thank you again Thao!). She got Elizabeth this book called "Press The Button", which is now a bedtime favourite... She just loves this book and makes Phan read it to her every night.

September 11 - Hanging With The Girls
One of only a handful of photos I got of Thao this weekend... The girls loved hanging out with her... (Elizabeth really did too, she just doesn't look impressed in this photo!)

September 12 - Kiddie Gamer
Elizabeth is getting good at playing games on her vtech console...

September 13 - Down By The Pier
I went to check out a lovely little spot today... it has the prettiest jetty I've ever seen (and the most awesome kids playground too!)... This has got to be another one of my favourite photos from this year.

September 14 - Custom Made Dresses
Our custom made dresses from Lillipops Designs arrived today... We designed them ourselves during a Back To School custom dress event that was run a couple of months ago. (And by "we", I mean Elizabeth and I... she picked the fabric and the style of dress and the belt to go with it... and we picked out a design for Catherine). They are awesome... I love, love, love how they turned out... and so do the girls... The dress is now Elizabeth's new favourite. They were so gorgeous, I was inspired to take the girls out for a minishoot them...

Inspirations for the Weekend

2011-09-17T07:11:00.002+10:00

1. This maternity silhouette is divine... Can't wait to get back to Adelaide an capture some baby bump photos of Bao!

Source: thelensloves.com via Erin on Pinterest

2. I love the mess, the delight and the realness of this set of photos...

Source: thelensloves.com via Clara on Pinterest

3. Make the most of what you've got...

Source: lollipops.bigcartel.com via Clara on Pinterest

It's A Big, Big World

2011-09-11T20:04:00.002+10:00

Just posting this to show my sister (who is rarely on facebook) the perspective through my newly acquired, second-hand fish-eye ... :) I know I'm going overboard here with the effect, but hey, it's a novelty... :)

Photo A Day - September - Week 1

2011-09-10T17:00:00.000+10:00

September 1 - First Day Of Spring
The days are warming up and you can feel spring is in the air...

September 2 - Happy Birthday to Me
If you missed the blog post about my awesome birthday, you can find all the details about my fantastic day here -

September 3 - Delicate Dancing
The big girl is going through a dress-ups and dancing phase... she loves pretending she's a ballerina...

September 4 - Happy Father's Day
A day to celebrate with Daddy today... We went for a walk down by the river and had a morning tea picnic which is where I took this photo...

September 5 - Catherine 1, Pasta 0
Someone got in the kitchen cupboard while I was doing the dishes...

September 6 - Simple Moments
One of Catherine's most favourite things is to lie on beds/mattresses... Must be a full size bed and not a cot... She will happily lie and laugh and giggle and just enjoy the comfy softness of a great big bed...

September 7 - Girlishness + Urban Grunge
Tried out something a little different from my normal open spaces, nature backdrop, sun-filled, backlit images... I really quite like the grungy feel of this wall...

Inspiration for the Weekend

2011-09-10T13:17:00.002+10:00

1. Inspiring words to live by -

Source: bitsotruth.blogspot.com via Clara on Pinterest

2. I'm rather fascinated with old vintage cameras at the moment -

Source: vol25.typepad.com via Clara on Pinterest

3. Love this silhouette shot -

Source: flickr.com via Clara on Pinterest

Approaching My Use By Date...?

2011-09-02T20:46:00.004+10:00

Earlier this week, I noticed our milk bottle had my birthday as it's use by date... It made me pause and wonder... am I really approaching my use by date as I notch up another year in my 30s? And to be honest... the answer is a resounding *NO*! I have never loved life more... never loved my family more... and never looked forward to the future more than I do at this moment in time... There is so much happening in my life, but I have never been more blessed than now and I am ever, ever grateful for that!

This morning began at our usual 6:30am start... Elizabeth has been counting down 'til my birthday for more than a week... but this morning she seemed to have momentarily forgotten that when she came into my bed for a snuggle... But then Phan (who was attending to Catherine) called her out and next thing you know... she was showering me with pictures and collages she had made.... and giving me lots of birthday hugs and kisses... and then she revealed an awesome birthday card that she, Catherine and Daddy had made for me:

In all honesty... this birthday card is probably my most favourite thing about today... There was so much thought put into it - from Phan getting the speech bubble blackboard (it was also part of my present!), then coordinating to take the photo (he whisked them off into the spare room one night and I knew they were up to something, but I had no idea what!) and then printing and making the card... then inside Elizabeth had drawn a cute little picture of her, me and Catherine... Catherine had drawn a pretty little scribble in it... and Phan had written me a beautiful heart-felt note.. All those things just meant the world to me. I often say that Phan doesn't have a creative bone in his body (and he even admits it too)... but he really surprised me with his ingenuity this year... absolutely awesome and I love him even more for it! The little message on the speech bubble 'Happy Birthday "Mamma"', is also a bit of a joke for us too... Catherine went through a phase of saying "mamamamama", but she hasn't said it for few months now (I think she's forgotten how!) and now everytime we try and get her to say "Mamma", she always says "Dadda"... It's really quite funny! So this was Phan's little way of saying - 'Look... Catherine can say Mamma'... LOL...

Anyway... once I got past the awesome card, I had a big box to open which contained a myriad of gifts of Phan and the girls... The main item being... a film camera! Yes... I know most of you are thinking "What? Film? Isn't that a thing of the past?" But there is just something romantic about film that I find appealing... I mentioned in passing to Phan one night *ages* ago... and apparently he stored that idea away in that brain of his and then did a whole lot researching to locate one that was in excellent condition for me from the US... It came with a 50mm 1.8 and a 70-200mm f4.5... I'm excited to be taking a step into the world of film photography! There was also a coffee cup in the shape of a Canon 24-105mm lens... LOL... hilarious 'cos I initially thought it was a real lens (the box it comes in is so authentic) and I was thinking "I don't really want this lens..."... but then I laughed when I realised what it was!

After I had opened that present we got out of bed and got breakfast going for the girls and I opened my gift from my sister that I have been waiting patiently for a week to open! I had requested "small random kitchen gadget", so she got me "chobs" (handy!)and a cool recipe book stand plus a whole bunch of other yummy goodies (jam and haighs chocolate). I also got my first ever Pandora jewellery ever from Ko and Vinnnie and I can't wait to go and spend my kikki.k voucher from Bao, Ty and the Mitchells! I have been so spoilt!

We had to go drop off Phan's car from some maintenance, then dropped into Woolworths to pick up ingredients for the chocolate cake that Elizabeth and Phan had planned for me... Got home and they got cooking... it was so endearing to watch them labour over this cake for me... (Phan was using a recipe on the ipad for the cake... and notice how the ipad is on a stand? That's the recipe cookbook stand my sister got me... it's awesome that it doubles as an ipad stand... :))

While they were finishing off the cake, I got a call from Vicky who told me to go outside and she drove up with her girls and I got a personal rendition of "Happy Birthday" from her girls, an almond croissant from my favourite cafe and a bunch of lillies... I was so touched (yes, I may have teared up) that she made that little trip out for my birthday!

So after the cake was cooked and Catherine had had a morning nap, we got ready to head out to lunch at the Moray Cafe at New Farm... we discovered this place when Phi came up to visit and they make the best potato hash cakes ever (anyone who knows me will know that I love potatoes!), which I had a craving for when we were thinking of places to go for lunch. It was a delicious lunch!

After lunch, we went to New Farm Park for a play ... No digital photos of this part of our day because I was trying out my film camera... I almost went through a roll of film... it was really fun and got me thinking in a different way... I'll try and use it up this week and put it in for developing... so we'll see if anything worked out at all!

Came home... pottered around the house a bit... made icing for my birthday cake and then Elizabeth and Phan put so much effort into decorating my cake... Phan has discovered he likes wielding a palette knife, so he is responsible for the lovely pink buttercream icing finish on the cake... :o)... Elizabeth is responsible for the 2 lovely red bunnies on the cake (yes she had this planned since last week... she told Phan she wanted to make me a bunny cake and he freaked out at the thought of making a bunny-shaped cake! Lucky, she just wanted to draw me a bunny in icing!)... They are standing on grass and that's clouds in the sky... awesome huh? I loved it!

So that's my birthday in a nutshell... probably one of my favourite birthdays every... I feel so lucky and so loved.

Photo A Day - August - Week 4

2011-09-01T21:02:00.002+10:00

And here's the roundup of last month...

August 22 - Round and Round The Garden
Catherine *loves* round and round the garden... she loves it when you do it to her and she loves doing it to others... Makes her so happy. Here's Elizabeth doing it to Catherine...

August 23 - Rainbow
This morning, Elizabeth spotted the most awesome rainbow on the way to kindy... It was huge and spanned the entire width of an oval that we pass every kindy day... So awesome... if we didn't have some where to be and if I hadn't been driving, I would have taken a photo... Elizabeth said she was going to do a drawing of a rainbow at kindy and I had planned on taking a photo of that... but she didn't get around to it... so I took a photo of the nearest rainbow like item to remind me of the beauty of that rainbow we saw today.

August 24 - Odd Socks
Odd socks seems to be a constant around here... I hate little children socks... so small, so easy to lose, impossible to find, impossible to match... Odd socks are the norm for Catherine...

August 25 - Cereal
10pm at night and I realised I hadn't taken a photo for the day... so randomly walked around the house looking for inspiration and decided to take a photo of this... :)

August 26 - Toddler
She's losing some of her chubby, chubby baby cheeks and looking more and more like a toddler these days... *sniff sniff*...

August 27 - My Hand Looks Good In Red
Catherine so wants to be like her big sister. So today while Elizabeth was drawing, Catherine wanted to draw too... so I got out some textas for her and she was drawing away happily in her highchair... I go and do some dishes and come back to find her hand like this! In non-washable texta! She had a bright pink tinged hand for a couple of days afterwards.

August 28 - The Talented Hopper
For some reason unbeknownst to me, Elizabeth insists on doing the most random things when we go on photo shoots... she will stand on one leg... jump.. pull weird faces... "Take a photo of my back, Mum!", she'll call out to me... I'll try and catch her in between her randomness to get those more "normal shots", but this photo is truly a classic example of what she's really like when I'm trying to take photos of her... and yes, that's a random weed flower in her hand she's insisting on holding while hopping...

August 29 - Tea
I am a sucker for pretty tea canisters... just the canisters... they don't actually hold any tea... I picked up these while I was out shopping today... I love them...

August 30 - The Fragrance of Jasmine
I love the smell of jasmine flowers...

August 31 - Bathtime Cheekiness
Fresh out of the bath and we're full of beans and cheekiness in this household...

Fridays Are For Inspiration

2011-08-26T19:11:00.002+10:00

1. These cookies are so bright and fun... I'm not sure I could eat them though... they are way too cute!

Source: etsy.com via Clara on Pinterest

2. How totally sweet is this photo?

Source: None via Clara on Pinterest

3. And something worth thinking about as we head into another weekend!

Source: maryelizabethinspire.tumblr.com via Clara on Pinterest

Be Glad - Give Thanks - Cherish

2011-08-22T22:05:00.003+10:00

We've had one of those days... you know the ones... the tiring day, where the little one is crazy and hasn't had enough sleep... where the to-do list was a mile long at the beginning of the day and is not one bit shorter at the end of it. A day where the older one is constantly talking and talking and *TALKING* when all you want is a little bit of piece of quiet...

On any other day, these things would have got to me. But today they didn't. You see... today is Ava Rosemeyer's birthday... If you haven't read her story, you can find it here. And knowing that it is this angel's special day, I looked beyond the annoyances of the day and I found the beauty in my children... the joy in the moment... and I thanked God for the blessings that they have brought to my life...

Ava, you have touched the hearts of people around the world... Always you are remembered... Always you are loved.

Hold those you love a little closer tonight and be glad, give thanks and above all cherish.

Photo A Day - August - Week 3

2011-08-21T19:30:00.001+10:00

August 15 - Wait For Me...
We went for a picnic lunch with Chu Phong on his last day here in Brisbane... We went by the river and it was so lovely ... Elizabeth, Catherine and Chu Phong had a fabulous (albeit tiring) time running around in the forest there... so much fun... I have photos I need to get around to sharing... will do that soon!

August 16 - Swoonworthy Fabric
I have had my eye on this fabric for a good 3 or 4 months I think... It's designed by Sarah Jane with Michael Miller fabrics... I've been a fan of Sarah Jane for a few years now... and when she showed a sneak peek of it, I knew I just had to have it. I've just been waiting for it to be released and stocked at my favourite online fabric store and it did about a month ago and it *finally* arrived today! (I ordered it from the US!)... It is just divine and I am so in love with the prints... Somewhere amongst all my photography, I need to make time to make some dresses and skirts for my girls... and maybe a little something for my niece too... :)

August 17 - Snugglebug
We had brunch with friends today and Miss A was just so gorgeous, funny and adorable snuggling in her bed... She is so delightful!

August 18 - Older
Elizabeth constantly tells me she is getting bigger and that she's going to be turning 5 soon... She looks more and more grownup with each photo I take of her...

August 19 - Tea Towels Are Fashionable
See previous blog post for details.

August 20 - Face of A Pancake Thief
Again, see previous post for details.

August 21 - Random Fashion Statement
We've had a lazy, stay-in-your-pajamas kind of day today... It's been overcast and cloudy for most of the day. So this afternoon when Phan and Elizabeth ran around in the backyard for a bit, this is what Catherine ended up wearing... a hoodie over her one piece jumpsuit... and Phan squeezed her jumpsuit clad feet into her shoes as well... The girl's all class... :) I also love her smile in this photo... she's the kind of child that smiles with her entire face... When she's super smiley her eyes smile and they basically disappear... I love it..
(*apologies for the oversharpened photo, Flickr has done something weird to it!)

15 months And She's A Whole Lot Of Mischievous...

2011-08-21T11:53:00.004+10:00

Today Catherine is 15 months and in the last week, she's really come into her own when it comes to being mischievous...

This is what she did to our dining room chair this morning while I was doing the breakfast dishes...

Lucky that chair is a write off anyway... It has had a gazillion things spilled on it... so some extra decoration is really no big deal.... but to prevent this kind of artwork appearing on our walls, all textas now live on top of the fridge.

This week she's also discovered the world of the kitchen pantry, drawers and cupboards... She is forever opening them and taking things out of them and then leaving them randomly around the house... I have found a roll of glad wrap, sponges, plastic containers and aprons lying in the middle of the lounge room... She has also found plastic microwave containers and brought them up to me and given them to me as if they were presents (aren't I lucky?).

She found cooking chocolate in the pantry while I was doing dishes the other day ... I was wondering why she had gone all quiet... turned around and she had 2 big chunks of chocolate in each hand and there were teeth marks in each piece! She got rather annoyed when I took it away from her!

She loves taking laundry out of the basket and throwing it around everywhere... often wearing it around her neck... The other day, I was cleaning a spill with a tea towel... one minute the tea towel was there, the next minute she had wandered off with it and decided it was an awesome fashion accessory, when thrown over the shoulder like this:

She's also finally stopped being a bogan and will walk wearing shoes now... It's been a bit of a struggle because previously everytime I put her in shoes she would just sit down and look helpless instead of walking... and if you didn't take the shoes off, she would take them off herself. But basically a trip to Harbourtown last weekend, where shoe wearing was not optional since we were outdoors and she got used to the idea and wanted her freedom... so now she's off and toddling around in shoes... She only has 2 pairs, so I can finally look at getting her some more shoes...

She still steals food from us at every opportunity... and now does it when you're not looking... Elizabeth had prepared herself a pancake yesterday morning (butter with a sprinkling of sugar)... then went to the toilet, came out and watched a snippet of TV before returning to the table to find that there was only 1/4 of a piece of pancake... There was outrage in Elizabeth's voice when she exclaimed "Hey?! Where did my pancake go?"... Then a quick look around to see Catherine happily sitting on the rug watching TV munching one of piece of pancake in her mouth and a piece in each hand... "Mum!!!! Catherine stole my pancake!!!" Yes, guilty as charged... there was no denying that Catherine had managed to reach up to the table, and had swiped 3 pieces of pancake straight from the plate!

She's starting to make some cute sounds at the moment... She can say "Taaaa" very clearly (and uses it to her advantage... she's realised she generally gets what she wants when she says it because it is so cute!)... She waves hello and says "Hi" ... waves goodbye and says "Deee" (her version of bye... and in vietnamese "di" mean go)... When she drops thing she says "uh oh"... She tries to tell me stuff all the time... I wish I knew what she was really saying to me.. I'm sure it's fascinating...

So much cheekiness, cleverness and mischievousness from our munchkin... Elizabeth was never this cheeky, so it's a whole new world for us! She gives us so many laughs every day...

Fridays Are For Inspiration

2011-08-20T13:24:00.003+10:00

Okay, so I admit I'm a little late with the post ... but somewhere in world it's still Friday!

1. I've always had a soft spot for Mr Snuffleupagus... Phan bought me a soft toy one when I was in Uni... I loved it... I just find there's something enchanting and whimsical about this quote...

Source: google.com via Clara on Pinterest

2. Candid, beautifully composed, lovely light, gorgeous b&w... and of course taken by the amazing Tara Whitney... there's nothing not to love about this photo...

Source: tarawhitney.com via Clara on Pinterest

3. The colours of this sweet little market caravan just jump out of me... Too cute and just screams fun... I would love to rummage through that rack of clothes...

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Clara on Pinterest

Photo A Day - August - Week 2

2011-08-15T22:06:00.002+10:00

August 8 - There Was A Small Child Here Stacking Plates...
She pottered away when she saw me approach with the camera... :p It was really cute, Catherine was taking all the plastic plates out and stacking them on the floor and then picked them up and put them back in the cupboard... So you'll just have to imagine and instead you get to see the inside view of my kitchen cupboard... :p I actually did take a decent photo today, but it was of something that I'm not quite ready to share with the world yet... maybe soon... :)

August 9 - Silly Faces
Catherine thinks it's hilarious to squish her face into plates at the moment...

August 10 - Kissable Pout
This photo makes me *melt*... I just adore her little pout and she looks so sweet in that little outfit... oh and that dreamy bokeh... loving my 50mm 1.4... :)

August 11 - Ta
Chu Phong is in town visiting us at the moment... Catherine was initially a bit uncertain about him... but he won her over by giving her some food... Here she is saying "Ta" while taking some breakfast cereal from him...

August 12 - Model's Own Pose
Took the girls out to the park this afternoon while our interstate visitors snoozed and had an afternoon nap... I love this dress on Elizabeth... pink and turquoise are my favourite colour combinations at the moment... This pose was completely her idea... She is so random... LOL...

August 13 - Sweet Talking Daddy
A day out shopping at Harbourtown... Phong did really well and bought the most out of all of us! Phan even bought more than me (at his favourite store, Ralph Lauren)... I scored a pair of shoes... completely different to the kind of shoes I was actually looking for (I need a casual walking shoe and couldn't find anything I liked). Towards the end of our shopping expedition, Elizabeth didn't want to walk anymore and managed to sweet talk Phan into carrying her around... she looks rather pleased with herself that she got her way doesn't she?

August 14 - Sunday Morning, Pajamas and a Blue Balloon
This is how our little miss looks in the morning... dishevelled bed hair... still in her one piece jumpsuit pajamas... and there's nothing like some balloon fun to start a Sunday morning...

I Heart Faces: Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-15T14:57:00.003+10:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is Beautiful Eyes, and I knew the moment I saw the theme, that I was going to enter this photo, that I took last week when we went out for a mini photoshoot with Chu Phong. She was none too impressed with the fashionable kerchief I made her wear... but those eyes *sigh* ... they just melt me... so much wonder at the world... so much youthful innocence...

Friday's Are For Inspiration

2011-08-12T20:50:00.002+10:00

1. This little quote is doing the rounds on quite a few photographer facebook pages at the moment...

2. I'm absolutely in love with this video - it was made a present for a couple who had a 5 year long year relationship between Los Angeles and Taipei... Really worth watching... it's very creative!

3. Totally random, but I really love this... I'm sure it'd be easy to make... I'll put it on my todolist that seems to get continually longer every day!

Source: labohemeblog.com via JW on Pinterest

I Heart Faces: Friendship

2011-08-08T14:51:00.003+10:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is Friendship, so I thought I'd enter this photo... It's Elizabeth and her Uncle Phi Phi... (and she openly admits he is her favourite!)... There's a very special friendship between this uncle and his niece.

Photo A Day - August - Week 1

2011-08-07T17:00:00.000+10:00

Ahh, it's the start of another month... so here's the first week of August

August 1 - I Want To Break This...
Generally, I think I have a reasonably high tolerance for annoying, loud, repetitive noises. It just comes with the territory when you have small children. However, this toy recorder might just be the thing that tips me over the edge... Elizabeth got this from her pinata at her birthday last year, but for some reasons it's made a huge revival this week and I swear, if I hear that annoying high pitched noise again, I will probably find a way to accidentally hide it in the bin forever...

August 2 - Eclectic Fairy Ballerina
She got home from kindy and promptly changed into this miscellany of clothing and dressups... And proceeded to dance and sing... I love 4 year old randomness...

August 3 - My Grownup Newborn
After kindy we caught up with some friends at the park... and when we got home, I was pulling together the finishing touches for dinner and turned around and found her like this on the couch. Way too much excitement for one day...

August 4 - Afternoon At The Playground
Went to a different park this afternoon for something different to do... Catherine quite liked sitting on this bouncy giraffe thing...

August 5 - Oops, Dropped Something
Bath time and Catherine likes throwing things out of the bath... This photo taken without flash at about 6:30pm with just dodgy bathroom lighting. Taken using my new 50mm - ISO 6400, f/1.4, 1/250...

August 6 - Joyous Afternoon
Phan wanted me to take his car out for a spin this afternoon to feel how different it is after all the mods he's been doing to it recently... So we took a little drive over to a little park reserve I'd spied a few weeks ago and spent an enjoyable afternoon having some fun...

August 7 - Playing Trains
Crows vs Lions game playing in the background... and this is what Elizabeth, Catherine and Daddy were up to in our loungeroom this afternoon...

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-08-07T08:08:00.003+10:00

Coming Home is out now from Fei Fei's Stuff at Oscraps! And the colours are just delicious! I can't wait for our Australian summer to get here so I can scrap with these gorgeous bright fun colours! But for now, here's a simple neutral toned page...

Thanks for having a look!

Friday's Are For Inspiration

2011-08-05T15:30:00.002+10:00

1. One of my Facebook photographer friends (Hi Kris!) set up something similar to this recently... I think it's an awesome way to get those photos off the computer and printed and shown off around the house... I am so doing this when we move back to Adelaide...

Source: ana-white.com via Clara on Pinterest

2. Barb Uil of JinkyArt Photography is a Canberra photographer famous internationally for her beautiful, inspiring and often whimsical portrait images... I love the opening little video clip on her website - ... I've watched it so many times and it makes me smile every time.

3. I adore this photo... a perfect simple childhood moment... illuminated with the most perfect light.

Source: dearinspirationblog.blogspot.com via Annie on Pinterest

Photo A Day - July - Week 4

2011-07-31T20:23:00.004+10:00

Let's wrap it up for July...

July 22 - Good Morning Sweetness
First thing in the morning... crazy bed hair... glistening eyes from tears and her beloved dummy...

July 23 - Peeking At The World
Elizabeth actually asked me to take this photo of her looking through the hole in this playground climbing structure... Love how her perspective can make something ordinary look really cool.

(Taken with the 50mm f1.4.... processed without actions, using my own set of processing)

July 24 - Winter Afternoon Glow
Another beautiful winter's day here in Brisbane... I will miss this when we leave Brisbane...

July 25 - Checking Out A Forest
Had one of those busy days running a bunch of errands and found myself with a sleeping Catherine in the car so I drove around aimlessly looking for locations so she could have a decent nap ... and then she awoke... so we went for a little wander... This taken with the 16-35mm 2.8.

July 26 - Small Window Of Opportunity
There is only a small window of opportunity when one can look good in knitted yellow bootie socks... Thanks you Ba... they are so cute!

July 27 - Hidden Gem
I came across one amazing hidden gem of a location today... seriously stunning... and the bonus part... it's REALLY close to where we live. Apparently it's a bit of a kept secret around these parts, but I can't believe we basically live on the doorstep to this!

We only did a short visit today, because I'd forgotten my iphone and I hadn't told anyone where we was going and the path there was pretty rough and not very stroller friendly. I kept conjuring images of me or one of the girls falling into the river and then Phan having no idea where we were. But we made it home okay... :D... Can't wait to head out there again!!! Two photos to share from today, because it was so gorgeous... First photo taken with the 50mm 1.4, second photo taken with the 16-35mm 2.8

July 28 - Reptile TV Show
We made a cubby in the backyard today... and Elizabeth decided to pretend she was doing a TV show about reptiles...

If you want an insight into what an afternoon is like with my girls at the moment, here's a little video clip of what was going on... *WARNING - it's a little bit long and goes for 4 minutes, but there's lots of random cameo appearances from Catherine, which kind of makes it worth watching...*

July 29 - Afternoon Tea Parties
This little teaset is on loan from Elizabeth's best friend Claire... her Mum thought it'd make a good prop on a photoshoot... which it did... :)

July 30 - Cool Babe
Phan discovered this afternoon that Catherine quite liked the novelty of wearing her sister's sunglasses...

July 31 - I'm A Little Teapot
We acquired this little teapot strainer a couple weeks ago... I think it's uber cute.

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-07-31T06:30:00.003+10:00

Wild Blueberry Ink has some lovely new goodies out in her store this week.

First up a new mini kit - Incredible... loving the pastel tones of this -

And a cute alpha - In The Pink

Fridays are for Inspiration

2011-07-29T21:39:00.003+10:00

1. This quote strikes a chord with me at the moment -

Source: bitsotruth.blogspot.com via Rasmiyyah on Pinterest

2. I can't wait to move back to Adelaide and hang up a whole bunch of stuff on our walls... I really want to get more of my photos off the computer and displayed where I can enjoy it! I love this canvas idea with the different shaped canvases

Source: laurabrettphotography.com via Clara on Pinterest

3. I love the use of the vintage TV as the frame in this shot

Source: hsmithphoto.blogspot.com via Clara on Pinterest

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-07-24T06:30:00.002+10:00

Washi Stamps is out now from Fei Fei's Stuff... just a little bit cute, these are a perfect little touch to your pages -

Thanks for looking!

Photo A Day - July - Week 3

2011-07-22T18:00:00.000+10:00

July 15 - Dad Did This To Me
Catherine dislikes trying to walk around in her one piece pajama jumpsuits... it's a hinderance, esp when she's trying to go fast (sometimes I think she's trying to run!). So Phan decided to fashion this funny little tail with the legs of her jumpsuit so she had her legs free to walk around as she wished... what a fashion statement...

July 16 - My Husband Is A Car Mod-ing Maniac
Phan has turned into somewhat of a car-mod-ing hoon lately... he's pulled apart doors, done stuff under the bonnet... and his latest project involved changes to the audio, and required pulling out the passenger seat so he could install the amp... he's crazy... Even Elizabeth surveyed the miscellany of bits and pieces laid out on the garage floor and said to him - "Did you put down this plastic so you could put your toys on it?"... LOL... even she knows they are his toys.

July 17 - Best Friends Forever
Elizabeth and her best friend Claire...

July 18 - This is Phi Phi
We've had Phi come and stay with us this week and he spent a day at her kindy with her... when they asked her to introduce him to the class she simply said "This is my uncle. His name is Phi Phi."...

July 19 - Oops, Almost Forgot!
First time I've almost forgotten my photo for the day... this is what time it was when I realised!

July 20 - Stepping Out
We spent some time at New Farm Park today and Elizabeth spent a lot of time walking over this suspension bridge to get to the slide.

July 21 - Our Toddler...
Our baby is growing up, as per yesterday's post... 14 months old... *sigh*...

Friday Inspiration

2011-07-22T15:00:00.000+10:00

It's busy around here and I have gazillion and one things to do, so just a couple of inspirations this week...

1. This I love -

Source: myconcretesky.com via Dianne on Pinterest

2. I absolutely adore this Audrey inspired photoshoot by AMR Photography... so, so gorgeous!

3. I am Sam.. I love this movie and the soundtrack...

Missy 14 Months...

2011-07-21T17:30:00.000+10:00

She dislikes shoes and socks and will take them off at every opportunity.

She is fluent in gibberish - the sounds she makes when trying to talk to us are sooo adorable.

I've mentioned before that she makes a lot of noise... if it's possible, she's actually gotten noiser in the last month.

She is a heavy breather and sounds like Darth Vader when she sleeps.

She likes throwing things... in the mornings she will often wake me up by chucking dummies at me... when she's in her high chair she throws her food when she's lost interest in it.

She still hates most fruit... and I have discovered recently that she really likes the rafferty's garden baby food packets... I had previously tried them out on her and she disliked them, but now she will easily devour and entire packet and still sponge food from the rest of us.

She wishes she could jump and does a rather enthusiastic bopping on the spot movement.

She has been crying/yelling at Phi everytime he goes outside for a smoke... Doesn't do it when anybody else goes outside... just him... She must be trying to tell him something...

Elizabeth calls her little sister a "tobbler"... and she almost is... she toddles everywhere and can turn around in a circle on the spot... Sometimes it looks like she's trying to run which I'm soooo not ready for...

She is getting taller... she used to be able to stand up under the dining table, but now she bangs her head if she tries.

The overnight feed is on the way out... it had consistently been happening at 4am for a while now, but it's started getting later and later and she is starting to last until 5:30am-6am now. I'm thinking about weaning her soon... which will be a bit sad... I'm kind of ready to have my body back, but at the same time, it's sad to think I probably won't breastfeed another baby again... :(

The sleeping thing still isn't great with her... She still wakes multiple times a night... but we have discovered she tends to settle faster if you let her hold your hand as she drifts back to sleep... Which is good, except for the dead arm I end up with when I've fallen asleep on the floor with my arm through the cot bars ... cute, but tiring!

She does loves being on mattresses... when she's on the bed, she is sooo happy and does this cute happy shrieking thing when she enveloped in blankets and pillow.

Our beautiful baby Catherine... now turning into a little toddler... You give us more and more reason to love you everyday... xo

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-07-17T06:00:00.000+10:00

Montage is the *AWESOME* brand new collaboration between Fei Fei's Stuff and Paislee Press... When these two brilliant women get together, the kits they create are sheer genius and this is no different...

This kit is an absolute must have... I adore it and the colours are just so classic and easy to scrap with... go grab it today!

Photo A Day - July - Week 2

2011-07-16T06:30:00.001+10:00

July 8 - Peekaboo Fun
Another beautiful afternoon of sun... another afternoon spent playing in the sun...

July 9 - Dancing Boots
We went over to Vicky's place and our girls raided Vics closet and found her boots to dress up in... That's Claire in those awesome black boots, and Elizabeth to the side in the lovely tan boots... I'd also forgotten to bring my flash, and there was very little light, so I shot this on my 85mm @ f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 12800, manual focusing (it was so dark, it wouldn't auto focus)...

July 10 - Random Find, Random Gift
We went to Trang's for lunch and on the way back to the car, Elizabeth found this heart on the footpath and said "I found this heart Mum... it's a present for you..."... How very thoughtful... :)

July 11 - Fascination
We were playing around in the front yard when Elizabeth spotted a plane in the sky... She loves planes...

July 12 - Pretty Pretty Weeds
These weeds were clumped on a footpath near Elizabeth's kindy... shot with the 85mm... have I mentioned how much I've fallen in love with that lens? :)

July 13 - By The Fence
It's not actually our fence, but we walk past it all the time when we go on our afternoon outings... I'm always fascinated by the shadows the fence casts on the grass... It makes such a cool pattern...

July 14 - The Homies
Phi Phi is up visiting us this week... Elizabeth is soooo excited to have him here... She wanted to go on a photoshoot with him this afternoon, so we obliged... we had fun... she's much easier to take photos of when he's with her to help her strike some poses... :)

Friday's Inspiration...

2011-07-15T18:00:00.001+10:00

My top 3 inspirations this week -

1. bobbi+mike - they are a husband and wife photography team... I love the way Bobbi writes and their behind the scenes shots of each other. And honestly, you absolutely have to go check out this blog post - http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/emilymatt-2/... It's absolutely incredible for countless reasons... just trust me... go and check it out.. it's an amazing story!

2. I adore this... and it reminds me that I must go and try making different shaped bokeh... :)

Source: etsy.com via Clara on Pinterest

3. "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realise they were the big things." - Robert Brault

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-07-10T19:33:00.004+10:00

Fei Fei's Stuff has just released Fresh Cut ... *swoon*... it's absolutely gorgeous and the colours suit the photos I've taken lately to an absolute tee ...

Thanks for having a peak... see you next week! :)

Photo A Day - July - Week 1

2011-07-09T06:30:00.002+10:00

I've gone past the half way mark now in my photo-a-day project... And after last month's colossal effort of photographing things unrelated to the girls for photo-a-day, but then also finding time to photograph them as well as part of my everyday, because I love taking photos of them, it almost felt like I was doing 2-photos-a-day! I'm looking forward to featuring the girls again in my photo-a-day project this month... :)

July 1 - Miss Polly Had A Dolly
I caught this candid moment of Elizabeth standing the doorway talking to her dolly while she was waiting for me to do something for her...

July 2 - I Quite Like Swings
Catherine is a fan of swings! Which is completely new and foreign to me to have a child that likes being pushed on a swing as Elizabeth still doesn't love swings all that much...

July 3 - Dancing Cinderella
These photos are for the benefit of our Auntie Emmi, who bought Elizabeth this dress for Christmas last year... she has worn it a few times, but I've never been able to get good photos of her in it... Well, this is as good as it's going to get!

July 4 - Stripey Spotty Sisters
Cute little matching dresses... Generally I don't really like doing the matchy-matchy look, but I fell in love with these dresses when I saw them... they are only from Target and at $16 each, a bargain too... :)

July 5 - Sliding
A morning spent at the park with kindy friends today.

July 6 - The Cutest Little Birdie Dress
A whole package of goodness from Lillipops Designs arrived today and this dress was amongst the goodies. I absolutely adore it... it came with those uber cute stripey leggings too... Totally gorgeous stuff!

July 7 - She Wields A Whisk
Don't ask why we have a plastic whisk in our bathtub... but we do and Catherine loooves playing with it in the bath... She likes splashing it about... and she likes stabbing her sister with it too... Elizabeth got sick of being hit with the whisk and said sternly to her at one point. "Catherine... don't stab me... it's not nice..."... LOL... it just made me laugh the way she said it to Catherine... Catherine just looked at her... grinned and proceeded to whack her again! And then I confiscated the whisk... *insert annoyed yell from Catherine here*...

Friday's Inspirational Finds

2011-07-08T18:00:00.007+10:00

Back again with a few more lovelies that inspire me.

1. This next image was found here - and really... there is nothing not to love about this photo... the little girl, the ethereal lighting, the bokeh, the meadow of dandelions... *swoon*... Damn, I want to find a meadow of dandelions like that!

2. This Google Chrome ad made me tear up the first time I watched it... I think it's brilliantly done...

3. I came across these awesome gals at Sassyfras Studio and you have just got to check out the vintage circus themed shoot they did... OMG... just so much gorgeousness!

My Top 5 Photos From April-June

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000+10:00

So I stumbled across a little contest over at Click It Up A Notch today to post your top 5 photos of your kids/pets from the last quarter. The winner is chosen randomly, so it's really just a show off your favourite photos from the last 3 months and I thought why not join in... :)

This has been really hard for me to choose, because I think I have improved and grown in my photography ability in the last 3 months more than I have in the last 3 years... I have so many favourites... but after much deliberation I decided to pick photos that while they may not be the most creative or spectacular, they are the ones that mean the most to my heart... Here's my final 5.

1. Hands On Your Head
I adore this shot of Catherine demonstrating her newly found "hands-on-your-head" party trick... It just truly captures how much she enjoys showing off her new abilities and makes me smile everytime I see that cute face -

2. Perfection
Really, I don't need to say anymore... she is just divine in this photo...

3. Ring A Ring A Rosie
I wrote about this photo the first time I posted it up... I just adore the interaction between my girls in this photo...

4. Muddy Puddles
I look at this photo fondly and remember a hilarious afternoon with Elizabeth stomping and sploshing in muddy puddles... the boots were all her idea and actually looked great with her outfit... and this pose was her idea too... she was looking at her legs getting splattered with mud!

5. I Am Zen
This photo is in my top 10 all time favourites, so I couldn't not include it... perfect light, gorgeous location and my beautiful big girl.

Friday's Inspirational Finds

2011-07-01T18:00:00.003+10:00

So I already do the "Scrapbooking Sunday" segment on my blog and I thought I might add a new segment to share some of the inspirational things I find on my travels on the web. There are some really amazing things, inspiring music and talented people out there...

1. As much as I'm obsessed with and adore beautiful light inspired imagery... When it comes down to it, photography for me is about capturing the moments... the pure emotion... and sharing a story with those images. I'm going to share this blog post from Jaime Hough Photography... it shows some images of a military family's journey over 6 months while the husband is deployed... I really won't do it any justice if I try and describe it, so just click on this link and see for yourself - Welcome Home Keith!

2. I came across this awesome blog concept in Dear Photograph the other day... the premise is that you take a photo of an older photo in the exact same location and they are accompanied with nostalgic comments... Really cool idea...

Here are a couple of my favourites -
Dinosaur Shorts

First Bike

Dad Never Took A Picture Of Me

3. One of my all time favourite movies is Sister Act 2. I know this probably puts me in the corny and sad basket but I'm not afraid to admit it that I love it... it's the musician in me that draws me to this movie everytime. One of my favourite songs from the movie is "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" sung by Lauryn Hill and Tanya Blount... I was recently reminded how much I love this song when a friend posted up a link to Hymn A Day facebook page, so I went searching for the Sister Act 2 version of the song... I really adore this arrangement ... -

Photo A Day - June - Week 4

2011-06-30T20:00:00.002+10:00

I've made it to the halfway point! 6 months down... 6 months to go...

June 22 - The Grasshopper Like Thing
I think it's a grasshopper... but I'm not really sure... Found this fellow sitting on our clothesline...

June 23 - The Only Flower I Seem To Be Able To Grow
I'm not much of a green thumb... but begonias are the one flower that I seem to be able to consistently grow well... I don't know why... They are thriving in their pot in the shade at the moment.

June 24 - Illumination II
Another illuminated leaf photo... this one is SOOC, except for resize for web.

June 25 - Bun Heo Quay
Tonight's dinner... homemade heo quay (vietnamese style roast pork) with bun (rice vermicelli noodles) served with salad, cucumber and pickled carrots... It's one of my favourite meals...

June 26 - Mount Washmore
A tedious, but necessary part of my everyday... I do a load almost everyday... It's amazing how much laundry small children produce...

June 27 - Kindy Withdrawals
Only the first day of school holidays and Elizabeth was already suffering from kindy withdrawals... she got out the watercolours, stamps pads, textas, scissors and we had an arts and craft kind of day.

June 28 - Morning Tea Pretties
I am always going on about how bad the food is in Brisbane... (and I still stand by that on the whole...) The exception to the rule is this fabulous cafe "French and Mor"... they have the best almond croissants and little desserts (supplied by Le Bon Choix), great coffee, and I just love the little styling touches around the cafe (think paris influence meets vintage... *sigh*)... Don't try and tell me these pretty little morsels don't make you drool... ?

June 29 - I Needed This Today
Phan's away for a few days for work, so I'm holding the fort up at home... and I had a pretty terrible night with both girls waking a few times... eeek! Combine that organising a kindy catchup at the park in patchy weather and Catherine having a very early nap it was quite a long day... so I needed some of my second favourite chocolate of all time (Haigh's is number one)... Lindt Roasted Almond... Divine... And it cheered me up immediately.. :)

June 30 - Abandoned
So it's been intermittently rainy, cloud, windy and sunny here the last couple of days... but today the sun decided to stay out for a bit this afternoon and Elizabeth wanted to go out on a photoshoot, so I obliged... :) On our walk back, we came across this abandoned wheelbarrow... It seemed like there was a story waiting to be told with it, so I took a shot of it...

I Heart Faces: A Touch of Whimsy

2011-06-27T20:05:00.008+10:00

I've been checking out I Heart Faces quite a bit recently... it's a great resource for photographers with awesome tutorials, challenges and a huge forum which caters for all levels of photographers.

I've decided to enter a photo challenge over there this week... the theme this week is "A Touch of Whimsy" which is so totally my style and this is the photo I decided to enter for it... Elizabeth being fascinated with a dandelion the other day... she loves those things!

I'm sure there will be some amazing entries this week...

Beautiful Imagery vs Real Imagery

2011-06-26T22:00:00.000+10:00

I'm always striving to take that perfect shot... you know the one... Perfect exposure, pinpoint focus... that natural expression on your child's face in that gorgeous location with that divine light...

Here's some beautiful imagery I took yesterday when Elizabeth and I went out to a field of long grass I had found on one of my scouting expeditions last week... I seriously had to muster up all my courage to go walking amongst the unknown in the long grass ... I had no idea what kind of animals or creatures might be living in there (can anybody say *snakes*?!) I just hoped Elizabeth and I were making enough noise to scare anything living in there away...

But you know... sometimes all of that doesn't matter in the least... Photos don't need to be perfect... It's about capturing moments and finding the essence of who your child is...

Like the childhood joyousness...

Or clumsiness...

Crazy faces...

And silly laughter...

And all this finished with "lady-like"-ness...

While I love the picture perfect moments... I equally adore the photos that illustrate who she really is and why I love her... xo

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-06-26T06:00:00.000+10:00

Two new releases from Fei Fei's Stuff this week...

Random - Elements is a cute little element pack which is comes in just perfect colour combinations.

And a gorgeous brand new kit Simple Joys is out now too... I love all the cute word art in this kit!

And a little toot for me, I got a GSO for this LO too - check me out here - Gallery Standout... :)

I also did this LO using the Mscraps Barefoot in Spring Collab and Infinity from Wild Blueberry Ink -

Please click on the layouts if you want to see the specific full list of credits.

Thanks for reading along and having a look!

13 months...

2011-06-25T21:04:00.001+10:00

Sometime last week, Catherine turned 13 months... It feels like I've only just blinked since her birthday party.

She can take up to 10 steps at a time now... and is just starting to get herself into a standing position by herself without using me/Elizabeth/the couch/a chair/laundry basket for leverage.

She loves bopping and clapping her hands to music. Particularly to the music on the iphone game Chuzzle.

She eats what we're eating for dinner... rice and stir fry, chicken casserole, fried rice, roast with mashed potato and veggies... It's great. The only thing she's not been in love with is spagetti bolognaise. She is still quite the food beggar... even if you're eating the exact same thing she just had for dinner, she still comes over and looks at you until you give her some of your food. I've also discovered she realy likes turkey, home made mini-quiches and (courtesy of Daddy) chocolate cream biscuits... We're down to 1-2 breastfeeds a day... 1 morning and 1 afternoon. Slowly trying to get rid of that afternoon feed...

She tries to hold conversations with us all the time... the noises she comes up with are hilarious. She really likes to yell when she's on the change table or when she's really not happy.

Bathtime is hilarious... She's discovered how to splash.. *exuberantly*! She gets egged on by seeing Elizabeth splash her back... The bathroom floor is often just a huge puddle of water. I have some video footage I have to find and post up...

She had her first haircut, which made me really sad right before I had it done... I have this weird emotional attachment to baby hair. But she just had the back trimmed to get rid of the lopsided mullet she had going on... and just a little bit off the sides... to be honest it doesn't look that much different and it's still as fluffy and fly-away as before!

She loves going on the slide ... I hold her the whole time, but the whole sliding sensation has her smiling and itching for more... we take it in turns with Elizabeth and if I stop letting her go on the slide because I'm tired and she sees Elizabeth go down, she makes a lot of noise to let me know she wants another turn.

Three of her top teeth are coming through, slowly but surely... and she's getting quite adept at biting things (including me!)...

She's scared of this cute bear that appears on little ad breaks on ABC Kids 2... she really freaks out... Elizabeth got clued up about this and started purposely rewinding the TV shows to make the bear appear to freak her out on purpose... A bit funny and a lot cheeky... we quickly put a stop to that though!!!

She is a huge scaredy cat of all things that move of their own accord (this includes toys that move and animals!), dislikes the vacuum cleaner and she's a real mummy's girl at the moment... Separation anxiety has well and truly set in for her... Although, she is a lot better than Elizabeth at the same age and does happily hang out with Daddy by herself... She's not keen on strangers looking at her either... (much like her sister).

She doesn't seem to need a lot of sleep... she has 2 x 40 minute naps a day... sometime between 9am-10am (depending on if it's a kindy day) and another at around 1pm-2pm. She goes to bed at 6:30pm... wakes up every couple of hours and is generally quick to resettle (and sometimes self settles)... Sometimes she has a crazy awake period or restless period for a couple of hours from 1am-3am... that happens variably and those nights suck! She has a morning breastfeed around 4am-5am and most of the time has really restless sleep until 6:30am-7am... and occasionally she starts the day at 6am. Really, it's mad how little sleep she needs!

One the whole, she's a happy little cherub... and she makes me laugh countless times a day... Love her to pieces... xo

Questing For Light

2011-06-24T22:00:00.003+10:00

I am addicted to the light. There. I said it. I start feeling a little down and empty when we have a few overcast days in a row (which luckily hasn't happened all that often yet) and I get this yearning to see those golden rays of sunshine fall upon us... to feel that inspiration fill me as I see that glow. I know I'm obsessed, because I spend good parts of my week planning how we can get outdoors when the light is beautiful...

It involves organising outfits and prepping/cooking dinner ahead, because the best light happens to coincide with when I'm normally feeding small children/cooking dinner and when we get back from our mini photoshoots, the last thing I want to do is cook and the girls are usually hungry and want to eat as soon as we walk back in the door...

I've been going for walks a few times a week, looking for good locations and trying to predict what the light will look like during the optimal afternoon hours... What is weird is that I never went to this much effort when I only had Elizabeth to contend with, but I'm in a bit of a motivated "zone" at the moment... and as a result I'm quite happy to get both Elizabeth and Catherine dressed up and then bundle them up to go searching for the beautiful light... I think I need some kind of group therapy... we could call it "Lights On Anonymous"... :p

I've really got to stop questing for light and start editing and blogging my images... I've got quite a few shoots which while I've shared a select few images on facebook, there are just so many, many more and I need to share them somewhere....

So to kickstart it all, I'm going to work backwards and share some images from today... I have to mention that's Elizabeth's gorgeous dress is from Lillipops Designs - you can find her store here - http://www.lillipopsdesigns.com/ and also find her on etsy here - http://www.etsy.com/shop/lillipopsdesigns... The clothes are made to order, and I placed this order way back in April sometime and I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival... It's been so worth the wait.. so very well made and exceptionally designed... And a perfect fit for Elizabeth, who fell in love with it the moment she saw it and exclaimed "Is it for me? It's sooooo beautiful! Can I wear it to the hairdresser tomorrow?"... And wear it to the hairdresser she did. I have plans for Elizabeth to wear this dress on a beach shoot during the summer when we move back to Adelaide... but seeing how much she loved the dress (she think it's Cinderella like!), I just couldn't resist going out on a photoshoot today and having a test run.. :)

Here are just some of today's light inspired images (there are more... but this will do for now).

The Dress
Really, it's so perfect and these photos just say it all.

Silliness and Beauty
You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get Elizabeth to hold these flowers... Apparently they were "stinky"... She complained about them while we were leaving the house and and insisted on walking as far away from them as possible... In the end I bribed her with the promise of making buttermilk pancakes for breakfast tomorrow... and even then she spent most of the time trying to hold them as far away from her as possible... I'm just glad I got some photos...

Sisters Together
Catherine is taking more and more steps everyday... She's only just starting to get into a standing position on her own without holding onto anything this afternoon. But she really likes holding Elizabeth's hand and trying to go for a little totter about.

Ring-A-Ring-A-Rosie
This last photo was taken when the afternoon light had faded... the girls were playing ring-a-ring-a-rosie... This photo is quite typical of how they interact and just shows how much they love and adore each other... It makes my mummy heart ache with happiness to see them like this.

Photo A Day - June - Week 3

2011-06-21T18:00:00.000+10:00

June 15 - Mess
This morning, Catherine managed to knock the pencil sharpener off the table and it popped opened and spilt pencil shavings everywhere. I know that most people would go "Oh crap... what a mess... damn it I have to clean it..." ... However, my reaction went along the lines of ... "Oh crap... oh wait, hang on, that's a cool photo op... let me grab my camera..." ... that's normal right? ;)

June 16 - June 16 - Pretties
On the weekend, I picked up this set of cute bangles for a bargain $5. I love the neutral tones.

June 17 - Texture
Elizabeth wanted to go "collecting" stuff today, so I humoured her and we went walking around the neighbourhood looking for things from nature to collect. While she was collecting stuff, I was looking for things to photograph... I love the texture of this tree.

June 18 - Upgrade
Phan upgraded me to an iPhone 4 as my contract runs out in a week, as i was sick of Vodaphones terrible coverage... So far, loving the battery life, the camera on the front for face time, and the parental lock feature which prevents apps from being deleted! (Catherine has deleted my apps a couple of times!)

June 19 - Follow The Leader
A day trip to Sea World today... Catherine's first trip (she enjoyed and got a lot more out of it than I thought she would!)... and our last trip as residents of Brisbane... We had a wonderful time... We got to see the new penguin exhibit which only opened up late last year... it's an excellent exhibit... the penguins are sooo cute... they have little personalities of their own. While we were there, they just started walking along in a little line of their own accord. Elizabeth was really excited and laughed and told us "Look! The penguins are playing 'Follow the Leader'!" Very funny and quite true!

June 20 - Can You Tell Me How To Get...
How to get to Sesame Street...? Why, yes... yes, I can.. :)

June 21 - Illuminated
Went out chasing light again with the girls this afternoon and as we were wrapping up the day and walking back to the car, this little leaf, lit up by the afternoon light, but surrounded by the darkness of trees caught my eye...

3 Inspirations

2011-06-19T16:00:00.000+10:00

I'm always looking for ways to be inspired... it comes in so many different forms for me... I thought I'd share 3 things that have inspired me of late -

1. My brother-in-law Phong posted this clip on his wall a while back.. His friends got married and this is the same-day edit video by Paper Crane Productions that was shown at the wedding. It is awesome... I don't even know these people and I cried the first time I watched it. Since then, I've gone back and watched it a number of times and still it inspires me every single time... That music really strikes a chord with me. Sweet, romantic, beautiful and heartfelt.

Nhan + Catherine Same Day Edit Experience | Be my only... from Paper Cranes Productions on Vimeo.

2. I recently came across a photographer who's style I am just loving... check out Zoe Berkovic ... her creativeness is very cool.

3. Somes words to live by... discovered via Pinterest, original source of image Steph Devlin -

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-06-19T06:30:00.000+10:00

Ah, lots of scrapbooking news this week... Wild Blueberry Ink has been the guest designer over at Log Your Memory for June and she designed this wonderful kit for them - Ties That Bind. She has just released it at her Mscraps store and it just gorgeous... the sentiments in this kit are just perfect for expressing those special family moments.

She's also released a couple of cute little element packs - Wired Charms and Grids and Ledgers Masks - they make perfect little accents to any page. And she has some lovely versatile neutral papers too... I can never get enough neutral papers - check out In the Nude Papers.

Over at Oscraps, Fei Fei's Stuff has released an awesome set of templates called Entree... makes scrapping so effortless! -

Photo A Day - June - Week 2

2011-06-15T06:00:00.003+10:00

June 8 - Ruby Red
I went for a neighbourhood stroll with Catherine looking for something to photograph today. Came across these awesome striking tiny little berry-like things.

And a bonus photo to show you how I'm transporting Catherine around when I go shooting... (She is going through a clingy phase at the moment, which I think is most likely due to the *3* top teeth she is cutting at the moment!) I have started using my ergo baby carrier in the back-carry position and Catherine quite likes it... And it's great because it gives me both hands free to take photos instead of these one-handed, balancing-baby-on-hip-with-the-other-hand photos I've been taking. Great fun and exercise now... I plan on going strolling around the neighbourhood at least once a week with Catherine in the ergo now.

June 9 - White, Two Sugars
So it's no where near as cute as Bao's Snow White Teapot, but I picked up this cheerful spotty little "teapot for one" a few days ago for a bargain $12. (The teapot sits on the cup when not in use) I love it... just makes me smile... I'm loving me a nice cup of tea in the the chilly evenings at the moment... Lady Grey is my brew of choice.

June 10 - Garlic Press Love
My sister got me this *awesome* Kuhn Rikon garlic press for my birthday last year... Only she would get me something like this *AND* know that I would love it. She actually did a heap of research on garlic presses before you made a decision... (yeah I know who does that?!) but her research totally paid off. I am actually perfectly capable of finely mincing garlic with a knife... But one thing I discovered since having kids is that it's a pain getting that garlic smell off your hands quickly... and its annoying have to clean your hands when you've got a small child tugging on your leg, crying/whining/wanting to be held. So post-kids I've become a garlic press convert... and this is everything you want in a garlic press... easy to clean (it inverts so you can scrape it out), stainless steel, easy to to press... you can even press a clove with the skin on and it leaves the skin behind. Have I made you want to get one? I should become the official spokesperson for Kuhn Rikon garlic presses... :D

As a side note, these garlic cloves pictured here are ginormous... I don't know what's with the garlic at the moment, but the ones I'm sourcing from my local supermarket and greengrocer look like they are on steroids!

June 11 - Where the Fruit Stickers Hide-eth
So Elizabeth has been getting more and more independent lately and she can now help herself to a mandarin/apple whenever she wants... Well actually, she picks one, gets a plate and gets me to peel/cut it for her... Only today, did I realise what she's been doing with the stickers from the fruit...

June 12 - Winter Comfort Soup
Tonight's dinner... my own creation, and rather like a variation on steamboat.... a nourishing combination of rice vermicelli noodles, topped with shredded chicken, tofu, broccoli, baby corn and shittake mushrooms served in steaming hot homemade chicken broth and garnished with spring onions...

June 13 - Winter Sun
Oh winter sun, how I love you. One of the things I am going to miss about Brisbane when we move back to Adelaide are the beautiful winters... sunny days... no biting cold wind... And the ability to hang the washing out and know it will dry...

June 14 - Here I Am
So this is me... I thought I would do a self portrait of myself today... and I thought I would wear the new dress I scored from Review at a bargain 50% off in the Myer winter sales. Doing the self-portrait was a rather precarious exercise, as Catherine kept wanting to look at/push the tripod and I was totally paranoid my camera was going to fall! I also had an "Ah ha!" moment, when I figured out how improve the way I've been focusing self portraits with my remote trigger. (Tip - manual focus is handy!)

The World's Littlest Hitchiker

2011-06-14T19:20:00.002+10:00

If you recall last week's photo-a-day, I took a photo of a vintage suitcase that I had managed to find. I've been searching for one for ages with a particular photoshoot concept in mind, so I was really quite excited when I found it... Yesterday I put it to good use...

Waiting For A Ride

The World's Littlest Hitchhiker

Also The World's Cutest Hitchhiker

No Offers For Rides

Change of Tactics - The Stowaway

Going To Hide In Here...

If I Get Found Out I'll Act Cute...

A Little Light Inspired Beauty

2011-06-08T15:15:00.001+10:00

I've had quite a kick of mojo lately and as a result, it's been making me want to go out and scout for new locations and find new light. Here are a few of my favourite light inspired moments.

And I'm trying to teach myself how to use Premiere Pro to make slideshows... Adobe really don't make their software easy or intuitive to use... but I'm figuring this is much like Photoshop in that it's really powerful and can so everything you want and some, so if I put in some hard yards to learn how it works, it'll be worth it in the end. I like the challenge of learning new things anyway. So here's what I came up with...

Sunny Days from Clara Huynh on Vimeo.

Photo A Day - June - Week 1

2011-06-07T18:50:00.001+10:00

Back in April, when I roped a whole bunch of family and friends into joining in photo-a-day with me for a month, my beautiful SIL Bao commented to me that she was struggling for ideas and that I had it easy doing photo-a-day because I always have my girls around me and they make cute subjects. And yes, to a degree, I agree... the whole reason I got into photography was to capture memories of my girls... so it comes naturally to me to take photos of them everyday. Although, anyone who has ever taken photos of little people will know that they are not always the easiest subjects to work with... ;) However, I think doing photo-a-day so far this year has vastly improved my confidence and ability to take photographs of children.

But in the interest of doing something a little different - I am dedicating June to being a month of photos where the girls don't feature in the photo-a-day. For my family back home in Adelaide, don't worry, I'll still be taking photos of them this month... can't let a month of them growing up go past without taking photos! I'll just post the girls' photos up separately.... (and also on FB, for those who are on there) But photo-a-day June will feature more about me (you might even see a self-portait...), my everyday and the things around me...

June 1 - New Shoes
A few random facts about my feet.

1. I have a mini-complex about the size of my feet. I used to be ultra paranoid about it in highschool, but I've gotten over it mostly... :o). In proportion to my height, I should be about a size 5 or 5.5. But I'm a size 6 ... and have recently discovered post-Catherine my feet seemed to have gained an extra half a size... so I'm now a gigantic size 6.5. There are advantages to being this shoe size... Bao always tells me how hard it is to find shoes in a size 5 or 5.5.... so I'm lucky I've never had trouble finding shoes that fit me.

2. I am pigeon-toed. Always have been. And it runs in the family, because my sister is pigeon-toed... and so is Elizabeth. Apparently I also walk in a very particular/distinctive manner... to the point that a couple of friends in highschool thought that I had walked with a caliper at a previous point in my life. Yes, I have some weird friends... lucky I was good enough friends with them to laugh hysterically about that story they had concocted in their imaginations.

3. I love ballet flats. Even pre-kids I was obsessed with them. But now, they are an absolute staple in my wardrobe because I'm too unco to chase kiddies in heels (even small ones). I bought these shoes on the weekend and I love the colour (something a bit different for me) and I love that they make my feet look smaller than they are... (*laugh*... yes, that's the shoe size complex coming out in me...)

June 2 - Morning Silhouette
Morning light casting shadows of the branches outside the window on the vertical blinds in the lounge room

June 3 - Banh Bao
I had the random idea strike me to have my first ever attempt at making banh bao at about 8:30am... I had all the ingredients at hand... so I googled a few recipes... combined a few ideas together and voila... 2.5 hours later, one dozen fresh banh bao... :) It would have only have been 2 hours, if my gas bottle hadn't run out half way through cooking the last batch and I had to rejig a contraption on the induction stove to finish them off. (My giant steamer is too big to work on our stove.) Making them was no where near as hard as I had imagined ... I recall my mum spending and entire day making banh bao so I always thought it was hard. It does help though that I got my KitchenAid to knead the dough for me, so that cut the time down a lot. They were delicious... this will probably start being a regular occurence. The advantage of making these early in the day, was that dinner was all ready for that night, so I got to take the girls out for an afternoon shoot too... :)

June 4 - In Search Of Light
Last week, I glanced out the window one afternoon and sighed to myself as I saw the golden glow and said to myself "Oh, the light is beautiful today..."... which lead Elizabeth to come running over and say to me "Can we go outside and take photos?" ... LOL... she is truly a child of mine... I love that at the age of 4.5 she already knows what beautiful light means... :) Alas, on that day, I had to get dinner cooking so there was no time to take photos.... So I made it up to Elizabeth by taking her out for a photoshoot on this day (photos are up on FB, but a blog post will follow soon)... the light was just d.i.v.i.n.e... So glad I forwent an afternoon nap and went in search of the light instead... :)

June 5 - Vintage Suitcase
I've been searching for a vintage suitcase for ages and I finally found one yesterday... :)

June 6 - Signs From Suburbia
Went and did a spot of shopping at Chermside during lunch today, and then Catherine fell asleep in the car afterwards and it was only 45 mins until kindy pickup... so I drove around and looked for something interesting to photograph and this little little market stand in front of a house caught my eye... so quaint and sweet.

June 7 - The Fallen
We pass this tree every day when I take Elizabeth to kindy... (A camelia perhaps??? My botanical knowledge is not that far reaching.) It's just outside the front gate... and it's had a beautiful bed of fallen petals lying there for a couple of weeks now and everytime I see it, I've said to myself "I must take a photo of that!" Finally got around to doing it today... :)

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-06-05T14:40:00.000+10:00

Well, it's been a while since I've done a Scrapbooking Sunday and a few things have been going on...

Firstly, Owl Tree Studio has ended up closing up due to personal reasons... however, on the upside, I'm now CTing for Shirley from Wild Blueberry Inkwho I discovered while I was CTing there. I love Wild Blueberry Ink's designs and am so happy to be on her team! Her shop is over at mscraps, so you should pop over and check it out!

Her latest kit Deja Vu is out right now and is 20% off at the moment.

A here's a page I've done with another recent kit of hers Forecast... the doodles are really cool in this and I love this wordart!

Also I did this simple plage with the cool "Sisters" frame... from Family Photos ... I love it... :) (Also uses the Hope kit papers and brushes)

(Also Catherine's birthday pages in a previous post feature cluster frames from Wild Blueberry Ink too)

Over at Donna Duncombe Designs her latest kit is My Mother's Arms... a cutesy kit in fun girly colours -

And lastly Fei Fei's Stuff has some awesome brand new doodles out - Lots of Love... they are so cute and whimsical... a perfect compliment to these photos.

Thanks for reading along... I'll try and do some more regular updates again!

Photo A Day - May - Week 4

2011-05-31T20:24:00.000+10:00

I've made it through another month with photo-a-day which brings us up to 5 months of the year with photo-a-day... almost half way there! :)

May 25 - Princess Catherine
One of Elizabeth's little crowns which suits Catherine perfectly. And didn't you know that princesses have corn on the cob for breakfast?

May 26 - Paper Tissue Pom Poms
Interesting textures in this tissue paper pom pom I have lying around the house now that Catherine's party is over.

May 27 - And The Last Chair Was Just Right
Looking too cute in her new winter dress (one of many clothes presents she received on her birthday).

May 28 - Rides On Daddy's Legs
She had so much fun having "flying" rides on Daddy's legs.

May 29 - Looking More Grown Up Every Day
Elizabeth is such a big girl these days... I love her at this age... she makes me laugh and smile with her conversations and she is such a wonderful daughter and a considerate sister. Did you know every night before she goes to bed, she tiptoes into Catherine's room before she goes to bed to whisper "goodnight" to her and blow her kiss. It's a little routine she started not too long after Catherine was born and she's kept it up ever since.

May 30 - New Party Trick
Catherine learnt a new party trick over the weekend... she can put her hands on her head on demand. She's uber cute when she does it... and sometimes she does it for no reason just because she knows it's cute and she can make us smile.

May 31 - Last Signs Of Autumn
I thought this photo was rather apt, seeing as it's the last day of autumn. I had to take Catherine to have her 12 month immunizations this afternoon... I had driven down the street when I thought there was a good chance Catherine might nap in the car after the injections... so I drove back home and grabbed my camera. Glad I did, because my hunch turned out to be correct. After Catherine's shots (which she was really not happy about... she was crying before the needle had even touched her!), she fell asleep about 10 minutes later in the car, so I drove to this place with a row of maple trees which Vicky had told me about... Had some fun getting some interesting wide angles and catching some afternoon light)... then hopped back in the car and drove around, scouting for some new and interesting locations (and I did find some interesting things!)... and then 40 mins later Catherine woke up and we went and picked up Elizabeth from kindy. Perfect timing... :).

Thought For The Day

2011-05-29T20:59:00.003+10:00

My latest time-waster (as if I need another thing to waste time on) is Pinterest... A beautiful miscellany of images, it's a wonderful way to find inspiration, cool projects, pretty things and the just plain random. Collate them into visually engaging pinboards and it's a wonderful reference for a cluttered mind. Yesterday I installed the Pinterest iPhone app... and now I have an awesome way to while away the time when I'm giving Catherine a 4am feed or patting her to sleep for a nap. I happened upon the quote above while trawling the Pinterest boards, and I love it. How boring would our world be without art in it's various forms? Music, literature, fashion, photography, painting, textiles, food... to name a few... So many different ways to be creative and to make the world a little more interesting and a little more beautiful...

So what have you done today to make our earth a little less "eh"?

Brown Paper Bag Fun Video

2011-05-28T22:39:00.006+10:00

Brown Paper Fun from Clara on Vimeo.

Our huge 30x40 inch canvas from Sheye came wrapped in brown paper. Who knew that large sheets of brown paper could provide so much amusement to two little people? And so many laughs for us big people... :)

Catherine's First Birthday (in photos + a slideshow)

2011-05-27T20:34:00.004+10:00

Our baby Catherine is not so much a baby anymore... I can't believe she is one and it's beyond belief how fast these last 12 months have passed by.

Her party last weekend was a low key one... just a few close friends and Bao and Ty made the trip up from Adelaide especially to celebrate with us... Catherine wore a little white ao dai (a Vietnamese traditional dress) at her party... it's the very same one that my mum sewed by hand which I wore at my first birthday party, and which Elizabeth also wore at her first birthday party. I love that my Mum was still able to be a part of our day in this small way... It makes me smile and get all sentimental to think we have all been able to share the same little outfit on our milestone birthday.

One year olds don't do much at parties... We played pass the parcel... and the other kids were content to play in the yard while Catherine pretty much spent 90% of the party sitting in her high chair watching on while eating spring rolls which are her favourite food at the moment. She spotted them when they were freshly cooked and refused to have a morning nap until she'd eaten one... and then she had 4 at the party... and 3 for dinner... 8 in total all day! That's a lot of spring rolls for a little child! She unwrapped some presents (with the help of Elizabeth, who loved helping her!) and enjoyed shaking and playing with her abundance of new clothes that she received and also with her toys (a postbox that Elizabeth picked out, 2 xylophones (one from Chu Phong and one from us), a pelican thing, and a tray of wooden blocks, a cogwheel snail and some books) She also loves the new spotted bowl set that her godmother Vicky got her... (well actually, I'm sure that's more me... but it's so pretty!) and loves that her godfather Tuyen all the way over in Ireland sent her a birthday card with a morsecode baby-talk message in it! So lucky, so loved and so blessed. Catherine must have known it was a special day on her birthday, because she hardly slept all day and was in a remarkably happy mood.

Just a quick condensed summary of party in a few photos -

I also did a pre-party cake smash shoot with a giant cupcake, the day before her party... I've seen a lot of cake smash shoots and it always looks like it's frantic and crazy as the child gets into the cake. But Catherine (much like her sister), is a cautious child. She was quite tentative and sat there looking at the cake for ages... slowly suss-ing it out... but once she figured out it tasted yum and that there was cake in there, she got into it and really enjoyed it. She was really quite drawn to the giant cherry on top (which was just a ball of fondant coloured with a heap of red food colouring)...

And just a few little things about what our 1 year old is like at the moment -

She can stand unassisted for several seconds, but when she realises she's standing, she freaks out and grabs onto me or the couch.

She hates being spoon food and prefers to try to feed herself. Favourite food is meat, meat and meat. Followed by jatz biscuits and broccoli. Dislikes most fruit.

She is a food beggar... as soon as she sees anybody eating (me, Phan, Elizabeth), she rushes over and makes a lot of noise until you give her some food.

She loves her big sister lots... and loves following her around.

Her favourite song is "Old McDonald Had A Farm"... which she laughs and claps to... I have to sing this song to her while changing her nappy to stop her from trying to crawl off the change table.

She likes to clap her hands and dance... she has this little boppy wiggle that is hilarious... I need to catch it on video.

She has a lot of personality for a little person and her cheeky grin could soften a heart of stone.

I'll finish this post with Catherine's first year in photos... slideshow making is not my forte, but this has been made with love and makes me so nostalgic as I look back and see how much she has grown in these last 12 months.

We love you, our beautiful Catherine... We have been changed and so blessed with your presence in our lives... xoxo

Photo A Day - May - Week 3

2011-05-25T08:15:00.000+10:00

I have lots and lots of photos to share of Catherine's 1st Birthday, an awesome lunch at Brett's Wharf and a beautiful afternoon shoot with Elizabeth... but I'm needing to find some time to write those posts... which probably won't happen until Bao and Ty (who are up visiting us for Catherine's birthday) head home later this week...

So in the meantime, here's a quick photo-a-day wrap up -

May 18 - Brown Paper Fun
Our canvas from Sheye arrived wrapped in a huge sheet of brown paper... which the girls decided to play with by madly rustling and shaking it.... they thought it was the best fun... who would have thought brown paper could have brought so much joy?

May 19 - Food Beggar
Catherine's a little food beggar... doesn't matter who's eating, or what you're eating... she will come and beg for some the minute she sees that you're eating! Here she is stealing some of Bac's ruoc toasted sandwich...

May 20 - Cake Smash
I did a pre-birthday cake smash shoot with Catherine... she was rather tentative at first, but once she got into it, she did enjoy it.

May 21 - And She Turned One
The baby of the family made her big milestone today... the big 1! Separate post will being going up about the birthday, but here's a photo from the day of her dressed in her ao dai (which my mum made and I wore on my first birthday and which Elizabeth wore on her first birthday) surrounded by her presents. She is a very lucky girl.

May 22 - Cheeky Sisters
All dressed up in their coordinating outfits ready for lunch at Brett's Wharf.

May 23 - Spelling Fail
I bought these cute little leggings for Catherine's birthday from an online store about 2 weeks ago... but it wasn't until I put them on her for the first time that I took a closer look and realised something wasn't quite right with them! Don't know how I missed this glaringly obvious!

May 24 - Another Convert
While embarking on my photography journey, along the way I have managed to interest, convert and inspire a number of family and friends into also taking up photography as a hobby... *insert evil laugh here*... Honestly, I love that my photography has inspired others to want to take better photos... and my beautiful SIL Bao is the latest person to join the club... I talked through the triangle of exposure with her and taught her some of the basics ... So here she is taking some of her first photos in manual mode... Proud of her... :)

Our Enchanted Picnic - Photoshoot with Sheye Rosemeyer

2011-05-18T21:19:00.002+10:00

Well those of you who know me would know that I am a huge fan of Sheye Rosemeyer as a person and as a photographer... I have followed her for a few years and I love the beautiful, open and honest way she writes about her life... I love the way she works the light, I love her creativity, I love her style... I'm beginning to sound like I have a girl crush on her... Maybe I do... :)? So when Phan set the wheels in motion by contacting her around the time of my birthday last year to organise a family photoshoot with her, I was *excited*. Like *REALLY EXCITED*. I had dreamed of having a family shoot with Sheye for (literally) years... And it appeared all the stars and planets were aligned and the universe was in sync to make it happen for us... This was our opportunity and the timing was perfect seeing as this is our last year in Brisbane before we go back to Adelaide at the end of the year and my girls are at a perfectly lovely, adorable age that I want to freeze for a moment in time forever.

Once we set a date for a weekend in March, Sheye asked what kind of styling/shoot I had in mind. My first thought was "Anything..." Knowing her style, I knew I would just love any photos Sheye took, just as long as it was of our family and I was actually in some of them. You see, that's the thing about being the "photographer" in the family... you're never actually *in* the photos... And as much as I love taking photos, and as much as I consider myself a rather non-photogenic person, I do actually want to be in some of the photos and I want the girls to be able to look back and see all us together... I really wish there were more photos of my mum and I together... it's one of my biggest regrets that there are only a handful of photos of us together as I was growing up... and even less of me as an adult with her... Oh, if I could turn back time and get more photos with her before she left us... So that is why this shoot meant so much to me... I wanted something beautiful to remember the Here and the Now.

A few weeks later, I started to seriously think about how I wanted the shoot to look and I came up with the idea of an afternoon picnic... Something light-hearted... Something that captured some gorgeous afternoon light... Ultimately, something timeless and classic that we could look back on for many years to come and remember a beautiful moment in time.

I sent that idea through to Sheye and then in a manic moment of inspiration, I decided go through all our wardrobes and style what we were going to wear. And then I decided to photograph what we were going to wear/use as props and I emailed through this storyboard. I wanted the shoot to feel casual, but I wanted us to look classic and I wanted myself and girls all in dresses to make us all look sweet and feminine... :) In the end I did change some of the things, but on the whole we stuck to the colour scheme of light blue, pink and white -

Sheye pondered whether we might be open to a row boat theme... and I interpreted that to mean being *in* a row boat, so I completely shot that idea down 'cos while we are boatpeople (in a refugee sense), none of us actually like being in boats ... I would rather be in labour than be in a boat... (yes really! We did whale watching a few years back and it was the longest 5 hours of my life! The only time I have been more ill is when I had gastro!)... I did find out later that Sheye had actually meant more of a row boat in the distance on a lake type thing (which would have been fine!), but my inital reaction to the idea was enough to put Sheye off that whole concept... LOL...

Then I stumbled across this photoshoot and fell in love with the gorgeous huge tree in these images and sent it through to Sheye for a bit of inspiration -

Vintage Picnic Shoot

Some more conversation and Sheye was on a mission to find us a big willow-y tree...

And then she came up with the vision of hanging paper lanterns off a tree... *sigh*... As soon as she mentioned that, I knew we were on the same wavelength and this was going to be something wonderful...

The weeks passed... and all of a sudden the weekend of the shoot was almost upon us... and the weather gods were forecasting grey skies and thunderstorms... a rather major glitch in our plans!!!

So we had to postpone... I was a bit disappointed, but figured a few more days of waiting when I'd been waiting years for this was not going to matter in the grand scheme of things... and I really had my heart set on capturing some gorgeous light in these images, so it was going to be worth waiting for the right moment...

In a way, the delay in our plans was kind of good, 'cos I had the random idea strike me a couple of days later to make a homemade kite to use as a prop in the shoot... :)
I made a practise one and got Elizabeth to try it around in the backyard... and let's say while it was pretty, it wasn't exactly aerodynamic... When I showed Phan that night I believe his first comment to me was "That thing is not going to fly."... Pffft.... a practical man he is... when I asked for his suggestion on what would make it fly, he said "You need some plastic..."... at which point, I tuned out because that was really not the look I was going for! So I made the actual kite that night from some lovely pink paper, some long bamboo skewers and a roll of cotton twine, and just prepared myself for it to not fly and to be purely used as a prop.

A couple of days later, and suddenly we had the perfect weather conditions... not too hot (I had fears we were going to be melting and sweating in the afternoon heat! Despite living here 4 years, we have not adapted to the Brisbane humidity!)... not too cloudy... and while Sheye had initially found us a perfect tree spot somewhere, she had to abort that idea when a snake casually wandered past her! So a last minute change of plans and instead we shot in this small secluded forest-y area a stones throw from Sheye's place...

I spent the whole day preparing for the shoot... Making sure the girls were well rested and fed so they would be in a good mood... Finding time to do my hair and make up... Getting together all our props and things... I even took a photo -

A couple of missed phonescalls on my phone (thank goodness Phan is reliable with his mobile), a short drive and we were there. We wandered past a hedge... down a grassy embankment... and the scene that greeted us was absolutely magical... The paper lanterns were so pretty and so perfect hanging over a great big pink picnic blanket... The afternoon light was divine... It was just gorgeous and even better than what I had envisaged in my mind... Fran and Sheye had a done a superb job of setting up for our enchanted picnic... we added a few of our own little props (an extra picnic rug, a picnic basket, some pink paper cups and some throw cushions) which just complimented Sheye's pink picnic blanket, pink bottle of lemonade and her little sweet bird cage delightfully... Our scene was set.

So what was it like meeting Miss Sheye? Well she is just as lovely in person as she comes across in her blog... Beautiful, warm and friendly... She set me at ease the moment we met... (And here I was thinking I was going to be so nervous being in the presence of my celebrity photographer!) She was awesome to watch in action... and the amazing Miss Fran was there assisting her and is just as lovely too... they make a great team... :)

The shoot went splendidly... The girls were sooo well behaved... Elizabeth kept saying "I like having a picnic in the woods"... and Catherine was all refreshed and happy from an afternoon nap... the girls were interacting sooo adorably... They were just perfect... I couldn't have asked for anything more from them...

The time flew by... and we were having such a good time, we completely forgot about using the kite as a prop until Elizabeth remembered... And she was soooo excited about playing with the kite... She sang this funny little song that went "I'm flying a kite in the sky..." and danced and frolicked around so joyfully... it was hilarious to watch... and I felt a little sorry for Sheye, because Elizabeth was moving around like crazy and wouldn't stay still and I just wasn't sure how she was going to capture anything decent... but credit to her... she did captured some of the most stunning moments of Elizabeth with her kite...

Then just as we thought we were done, I remember the parasols which I had bought specifically for the shoot... So we quickly grabbed a few more shots with the parasols and just as we finished, as if on cue, the afternoon light faded... It had been the perfect afternoon...

2 weeks later (2 very *long* weeks might I add!) I got an email from Fran saying the finishing touches to our gallery were being added and we would get a link the following day to the gallery. The anticipation could not have been greater! I refreshed my email all afternoon waiting for that link... and then early evening... that little window I had been waiting for popped up... I had mail... :)

Phan, Elizabeth and I sat down to look at the photos together... and... WOW! It was breathtaking... Absolutely beautiful... a wonderful compilation of candid family moments combined with absolutely magical enchanting art... I know I had quite high expectations of our shoot from the very beginning... I even tried to consciously tone down my expectations a little in that small chance that I might be a little disappointed, not because I didn't think Sheye wouldn't be able to deliver our vision, but because I felt like my expectations might almost be unrealistically high because I had been anticipating it for so long and my expectations might have been ridiculous. And because I'd been dreaming of this shoot for what feels like forever, I just didn't want to feel disappointed in anyway... Does that make any sense? It probably doesn't... But ultimately, I really need not have worried. The images surpassed my expecations.... They truly are perfect in every way...

Thanks for reading this rather verbose post from me... There was just so much that went on in the planning and preparing that I wanted to write about... I just loved every aspect of planning and preparing and then the actual shoot experience was just perfect.... Now let me show you exactly why I am more than overjoyed, thrilled, and excited (how many more adjectives can I use to describe this?) with how the whole experience turned out -

There are really just so many beautiful images I can't possibly share them all in this blog post... but if you're interested in seeing all the images from our shoot, head on over to Sheye's website which has had a gorgeous makeover - http://www.sheyerosemeyer.com, wait for the absolutely enchanting animation to load and then click on "just a moment" which will divert to her photography site and you'll see us featured as the opening image! (I'm still uber excited about that!) If you click into her photography website and select "Recent", our entire gallery is under "Clara & Phan".

Our canvas and prints were delivered today and the 30x40" canvas (which is the very first image of the whole picnic scene) looks absolutely magnificient in real life... I keep looking at it (Yes, conceited huh? But it's so gorgeous!) I will have to take a photo once it's on the wall (Phan started to put the hooks in the wall, but we had a hook casualty when it got stuck in a screw that was stuck in the wall... he's picking up a new one tomorrow... can't wait to have it hanging up!)

To the wonderful Miss Sheye... thank you again! Thank you for being the beautiful you and for using your amazing talent to give me these priceless memories. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And thanks to those reading for letting me share my joy and excitement... xoxo

Photo A Day - May - Week 2

2011-05-17T19:45:00.001+10:00

Here's the wrap up for last week

May 10 - Standing Around
She's cruising furniture and quite likes standing and pushing this wooden maze block thing around the house. She's also standing by herself for slightly longer periods, but freaks out if you get excited and cheer at her for doing so!

May 11 - Fruit of the Vine
Okay, really uninspired photo here, but I'd had a crapola night waking every 20 minutes with Catherine *all night long*... So I basically grabbed my camera and dumped it in the car and took a photo of this passionfruit vine not far from where Elizabeth goes to kindy... Catherine was also cranky and on my hip at the time of the photo taking, so I was lacking time and inspiration to do anything spectacular...

May 12 - Mmm.... Broccoli...
Brocolli is definitely in her top 10 favourite foods. (And yes, her fringe needs a trim... I refuse to cut her hair until after her 1st birthday...)

May 13 - Noah vs Rainbow Hedgehog
Noah and Vinnie came to visit us and he took quite a liking to Rosie our Rainbow Hedgehog and loved trying to eat her all the while having the most fascinated expression on his face.

May 14 - Autumn Water Fun
We went over to Phan's work colleagues house for lunch (we've been trying to tee up a date for something like 2 years and only now really got our butts in gear since we are leaving at the end of the year!) They have an awesome pool... Elizabeth's face lit up when she saw it! We borrowed a swimming outfit and towel and Elizabeth dived right on in... had an absolute ball... Yes, it's apparently still warm enough here to go swimming at the moment...

May 15 - Chrysalis to Butterfly
We went to Claire's 4th birthday party today... It was awesome... beautiful day, yummy food, cool cake, lovely company, well organised and the face painting was a hit. Elizabeth loved being transformed into a butterfly.

May 16 - Hi Tech Generation
Not even one year old yet she knows if she touches the ipad screen she can make stuff happen... She doesn't understand what the stuff is, but she likes seeing the screen change!

May 17 - International Families Day
It was International Families Day on the weekend, so our kindy celebrated by having a shared lunch with lots of international foods (I made the ever popular spring rolls). Elizabeth also wore her ao dai (which she calls her "ya ya") and everybody thought she looked beautiful... herself included... :)

How The World Appears Between 16-35mm

2011-05-14T22:55:00.001+10:00

Time for some photos from the new baby, the 16-35mm f/2.8... While it's never going to replace my love for my workhorse 24-70mm, I do really love the different perspective and how it's giving me the ability to see and capture life differently...

The New Baby
First up, a shot of the lens itself... :) (taken with the 100mm macro)

Yum Yum Gelati
The first photo I took using the lens while out at lunch... these were tartufo and baci gelati balls we had for dessert... yum!

Run away....
A view of Elizabeth running down boardwalk around New Farm Park... pretty sure this is newly built and must have built after the January floods.

Swinging Fun
Daddy, Catherine and Elizabeth and fun on the swings... Note how Elizabeth swings on her tummy... That is so typically her.... She hates sitting on swings conventionally, but will swing on them on her tummy... weird... Also note... that awesome sunflare... :)

Kisses for Mummy
I'm so lucky... :)

In A Forest Glen
Well, we weren't really, but with that glowing ethereal morning light we can imagine... :)

Contemplation
Watching the Brisbane river... a sister photo to the previous one I posted as a my photo a day on the 6th of May.

Photo A Day - May 3 to May 9

2011-05-10T06:30:00.000+10:00

Yes, I'm still on the photo a day bandwagon... :) So I thought I better do a weekly wrap up -

May 3 - Cutie Patootie
She's such a little cutie...

May 4 - Dreaming of Country Fields
Yes, I know, you've seen this photo in a previous post, but that was the only photo I took that day... :)

May 5 - The Apple
I was scrutinizing shadows on this day...

May 6 - By The River
Taken with my new 16-35mm f/2.8 by the Brisbane River... really loving the perspective this lens gives at it's widest...

May 7 - Morning Light
Again taken with the 16-35mm... this lovely spot is at a park not far from where we live.

May 8 - Mother's Day Lollies
These were my mother's day lollies from Elizabeth... I spoke to a couple of other mum's at kindy and they also received lollies... appears they were a popular choice!

May 9 - Freshly Napped
All happy from her morning nap... taken with the 16-35mm.

My Mum is special because.... she is my mum.

2011-05-08T20:00:00.004+10:00

This was the quote from Elizabeth that was written on a handmade bookmark she gave me this morning. And really, that one quote simply just says it all doesn't?

It's been a lovely day today... I feel so loved... Mother's Day today was low key for us... I just celebrated with my little family... just taking the moment to enjoy my girls... to play with them... to laugh with them... to love them as I do each and every day... And at the same time I took some moments to remember my own Mum in my heart... I am still amazed that even in her memory, she still continues to inspire me and gives me the strength to believe in myself...

I was greeted this morning with a lovely pile of homemade presents from Elizabeth today... I think this has been my favourite Mother's Day to date because Elizabeth finally "gets" these special occasions and she went to so much effort to make me a little pile of treasure -

She made me a butterfly card at kindy, the bookmark I mentioned earlier and there was a Mother's Day stall at kindy, so I sent her along with $2 and she picked out a present for me... a packet of lollies! (I do think the lollies were more for her than me 'cos she was rather excited about them and saying how we could all share them after dinner! *laugh*) She also made me, Catherine and herself some paper hats with the help of Daddy and she drew that awesome picture of Phan, herself and me carrying Catherine (Phan's the green dude, she's the orange person and I'm the pink character...) and wrote her name in my card... I was really feeling the love! Oh, I should also mention, last week, at the beginning of one of the kindy days, the children sang us mums a few songs as a Mother's Day gift to us... It really made me smile... and then when we came to pick them up that day, there was a sheet that had the header "I love my Mum because..." and there were lots of different quotes from the children. I asked Elizabeth what she had said and she said "I told Mrs B that I love my Mum because she makes delicious dinners!"... LOL... I'm glad she thinks that!

I also made a trial run of Catherine's birthday cake today with a new cake recipe and tried my first attempt at making a swiss meringue buttercream (which I was quite happy with how it turned out). And then I decided to masquerade it as a Mother's Day cake for me and let Elizabeth help decorate it with me.... :) -

And for those not on Facebook who didn't already know... Phan worked this weekend, so we celebrated Mother's Day on Friday by going out to a casual lunch... and Phan surprised me with the most unexpected and awesome gift of a 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens... I've had fun experimenting with the new baby, so I'll dedicate a full post to photos from that lens a little later in the week. I'll finish it here with a photo that Phan took of me and the girls... And to borrow a quote I saw from someone's Facebook today -

Deciding to be a mother brought me many gifts: love I had never known, strength I never knew I had, more smiles than tears, and is the best job I was ever offered.

From Ordinariness to Loveliness

2011-05-04T13:00:00.003+10:00

I drive past this street every time we leave the house... It looks rather ordinary doesn't it?

And yet, to my ever searching and wandering mind, I see something beautiful there everytime I drive past... Want to take a closer look?

Still don't see what I see? Well, let me describe to you what I see in that little clump of greenery. I see beautiful willow-y stems that can catch the light beautifully and bend in the breeze. I've been wanting to come out and photograph these weeds for a couple of weeks... and I know ideally for the perfect light, first thing in the morning would be magical, but realistically with the two kiddies to do the breakfast and morning thing with, that just isn't going to happen! But today after kindy dropoff, I had the opportunity to take some shots while Catherine was having a snooze in the car... (I also knew I had to take a photo soon, as someone is probably going to come along and cut them down soon!!!) So while Catherine slept, I grabbed my camera... And wouldn't you know, the sun went and hid behind the cloud just as I was getting out of the car! And for this photo to work I was going to need the right light... It doesn't look very spectacular here without the light does it? (taken at 45mm, ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/640)

And so I waited... just a little bit... because I knew that sun was going to peek out from behind those clouds... and when it did it looked lovely. I tried using the macro, but it just wasn't capturing what I wanted... I wanted to capture more clouds... and more of the greenery (this taken with the 100m macro, ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/1000).

So I switched back to my 24-70mm ... and got the photo I was imagining in my mind (this taken at 45mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/2000, shown sooc)

Straight out of the camera, it's a nice image, but with a little tweaking using Sheye Rosemeyer's latest action set - The Vintage Roadtrip Collection - the final image has me imagining peaceful country fields in the springtime...

So there you have it... a little insight into how my crazy photography brain works... I've tried to illustrate just how important lighting is when taking photographs and how composition is affected by your angles and your choice of lens... they can make or break your photo. I hope I've inspired you to find a piece of loveliness in your ordinary day...

Photo A Day - May 2 - Inspired | Epiphany

2011-05-02T20:03:00.007+10:00

No points for guessing who's inspired this photo today? Yes I know, I am such a Sheye wanna-be... :p... I really can't help being inspired after the family shoot we had with her! I had one of those epiphany moments today when a light bulb went off in my mind and I started reading the light in a different way to how I have been reading it... and I think it's changing the way I think. I also may have started to get the hang of sunflare a lot more too... finally!

Earlier this week I scouted for some new locations to do some photoshoots and I happened across this lovely little bit of suburban forest (it is seriously about 2 minutes from where we live!). It was rainy and overcast the day I found it, so I've been just been waiting and waiting for the sun to shine it's joyful rays on us and today it brought it's A-game... :) So I bundled up both girls this afternoon (I would have preferred to have taken just Elizabeth so I could scout properly, but Phan was mowing the lawn, so Catherine had to come along too) and we had a 1/2 hour mini-shoot here... In between grumpy and clingy baby I did manage to capture some lovely light and I'm so happy with how they turned out...

Photo A Day - May 1 - Dreamworld and Whitewater World

2011-05-01T22:40:00.001+10:00

Well, actually it won't be a singular photo a day, but instead lots! :)

(All photos taken with the G10, because I had to be realistic about spending the whole day out and about with 2 kids, one of whom can be clingy and had a high probability of needing to go in the Ergo carrier when she got tired of the stroller, so carrying the DSLR just wasn't going to be doable... I think I still managed to capture the essence of our day with the G10 though!)

Today we went to Dreamworld and Whitewater World and had such an awesome day... Elizabeth was super duper excited about going to Wiggles World... and then she caught a glimpse of some towels and swimmers I had packed and when she found out we were also going to Wiggle Bay... well the excitement just went off the radar!

We set off at about 8:30am this morning and whilst cruising down the motorway, we happened upon a massive group of Harley Davidson motorbikes also going for a morning cruise... It was most likely an organised club meet and they were actually quite orderly and didn't speed and were actually very interesting to watch, seeing their shiny bikes, the cool accesories and jackets... and of course hearing that well renown grumble of the bikes themselves... it made for a very interesting start of the trip! There would have easily been between 100-200 motorbikes on the road! This photo is just part of the convoy, there were more behind us!

We got there and because we'd bought our tickets online, we got early bird entry to the Dreamworld (park normally opens at 10am... we got there at 9:30am... )... so we beat the crowds (although in general, it really wasn't very busy today at either of the theme parks). First stop - Wiggles World -

We noticed that there was already a very small lineup for the Big Red Car ride, so we decided to join the queue for that, since it was popular... good thing we did, because it can be a very long wait for that ride! Elizabeth thought the ride was awesome and sang along with all the songs! It was a good ride to do because we all got to go on it as a family since Catherine could come along too... She enjoyed it too and clapped along with the songs!

After the big red car ride, Elizabeth and I went on the Dorothy Tea Cup ride... which is was actually terrified of... she didn't like the way it moved, she freaked out when it was spinning... she clung onto me for dear life. When she got off she told Phan "That was scary!"

After the teacup ride we started wandering towards the Nickelodeon area and as were were strolling along, we noticed a river boat that was just about to leave... it only runs 3 times a day, so we thought "what the heck, let's hop on"... So we did... and then as the boat started moving, the captain of the boat welcomed everyone aboard and informed us that the trip would be about half an hour! What the?! Phan and I looked at each other, cracked up laughing and wondered what on earth we'd gotten ourselves in for! Since the boat was already moving, there was no getting off, so we just made the most of it and we all had some morning tea... After about 10 minutes Elizabeth starting sighing and saying "This is boring!"... LOL... Luckily about 5 minutes later, the boat stopped to let people on and off, so we jumped at the chance to get off!!! So here's some photos of us stuck on the boat -

Having got off the boat, we wandered over to the Tiger area. Elizabeth, being the drama llama she is started freaking out about and saying "I don't like tigers.. they are scary, they might eat me... look there's a tunnel... are there tigers in the tunnel?" She is such a chicken. Anyway, once we actually saw the tigers, she was fine about it when she realised they couldn't get to her and eat her! The white tiger was beautiful... apparently he is the oldest one they have and is 16 years old.

After the tigers a quick walk past the Nickolodeon area and a ride on a merry-go-round before we headed over to Wiggle Bay... (which btw, Elizabeth nagged us incessantly about... she was absolutely desperate to go to Wiggle Bay and kept asking to look at the map and showing us where we needed to go!)

We made a bee line straight to Wiggle Bay, got changed and Elizabeth jumped in and started frolicking... she was crazy... the water was freezing cold and she was having a blast! She loved playing the flower showers and just generally paddling about. She went down the waterslides and then Phan convinced her to go on a curly one, but she couldn't keep her balance very well freaked out a bit and then refused to go on it anymore! We also got to meet Henry the Octopus, which Elizabeth was pretty happy about!

After we'd had enough of Wiggle Bay, we wandered over to the wave pool. Phan and Elizabeth aren't actually in this photo, but this is what the wave pool looks like -

And then time for some fish and chips for lunch... and after lunch Elizabeth said she was tired, and Catherine started looking pretty weary... Elizabeth curled up on a plastic kabana chair and I cuddled Catherine a bit and within 10 minutes, they were both fast asleep! So I transfered Catherine to the stroller and covered her up and Phan told me to go and have some fun and try out some rides. I felt like such a teenager again, lining up for the rides with all these young kids around me... I felt *old*! The first ride I went on, I decided to try based purely on the fact the line was long (but not too long) and it seemed popular. Silly me, didn't really associate "popular" with meaning "freaking scary"... So I hopped on this ride, with these two young girls sharing the clover shaped mat with me (who were absolutely terrified too!) and we screamed our way down the ride... we basically went through this pitch black tunnel and then fell down this massive drop into a funnel and then slid from side to side in the funnel and then came out the bottom. Was it scary? Completely and utterly! Was it fun? Absolutely! Would I go on it again? In a heartbeat! I loved it! The adrenalin rush was fantastic and it was just sooo cool!

So after that adrenalin pumping experience, I went back to check on the girls (who were still asleep) and told Phan about it (who thought I was a tad crazy!) and went off to try another ride - The Wedgie. This one was least favourite ride of all the ones I went on... You step into a vertical capsule like thing and put your hands behind your neck and there's a stream of water falling on your head like a shower... then ride operator says "1, 2, 3" and then releases the floor from under your feet and you go shooting vertically down this tube and then it curves around a couple of times at extreme speed with a tonne of water swirling around you (that you inevitably end up inhaling a bit of) You want to scream, but you can't because you end up swallowing water. It's a super quick ride and is over in about 10 seconds flat, but I hate the sensation of inhaling water! (The bottom photo shows the vertical shute that you fall down.)

Another quick check-in with Phan (both girls still asleep!) and I wandered over to try out the Bro which is a slide racer. You get a special mat and you go down this slide on your stomach, face first and you race other people. I sucked at this and came last, but it was still fun... quite tame compared to the previous two rides I'd tried! After that ride, I went on the Rip which is very similar to the Green Room, marginally less scary, but scary all the same.... you kind of get sucked down a swirly funnel. I went on this ride with a guy and his two young-ish sons (about 11 or 12) who were funny and good company and I was in a backwards facing position on the mat which made the beginning even more terrifying because it was pitch black and I couldn't even see when there was going to be light at the end of the tunnel!

After that, back to see Phan and I found that Elizabeth had woken up. I think I'd done pretty well to do 4 rides in about 1 hour because there weren't that many people and it wasn't crowded. I imagine in peak season, the waits are long! Elizabeth and I went and had another paddle in the wave pool and then it was time to get changed... and then I took Elizabeth around to show her the rides I had been on (and to take photos of them, since I hadn't taken any when I was actually going on them). Back to Phan and Catherine had woken up, so we packed up and asked Elizabeth if there was anything she wanted to do, and she wanted to go back to Wiggles World. So we went back to Wiggles World again and Elizabeth and I went on the teacup ride again and this time she didn't freak out and actually enjoyed it! I think because she knew what to expect, she was a lot better about it... and while were here, Dorothy the Dinosaur made an appearance and we got to meet her... (she doesn't look it in the photo, but Elizabeth was quite excited about meeting her!)

And then Catherine got a chance to have some fun in this great little toy area designed for her age group - she loved the xylophones.

And that was the end of our fun day at Dreamworld and Whitewater World. We stopped into Trang's on the way home for dinner (a perfect way to end the day) and then home. On the whole, the girls were so well behaved in the car and while we at the theme parks, it made for an enjoyable experience for all of us... The weather was also kind to us... it was the ideal day to go and do the theme parks warm enough to be in and out of the water, but not crazy humid so that it is horrible and hot to be walking around.

I'll end this huge post with one last random photo I took of Elizabeth just as we were about to leave Dreamworld... I thought these ornate scales were pretty cool!

April 30 - Photo A Day - Freshly Cut Fringe

2011-04-30T17:30:00.000+10:00

Took the big girl to have a haircut yesterday 'cos her fringe was hanging in her eyes (not that it bothered her in the least... it bothered me much more than it bothered her!). I'm liking her new look... :)

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-04-30T11:09:00.004+10:00

Here's my Simple Woman's Daybook entry for today -

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... it's unpredictable... one moment it looks like it is spring instead of autumn... blue skies, beautiful sun... picture perfect... then next minute it's grey, with a sprinkling of rain!
I am thinking... about some photography concepts... trying to channel some creativity.
I am thankful for... "me-time"... Phan looked after the girls this morning while I went and had a massage... love my husband so much!
From the kitchen... we are having heo quay (roast pork) for dinner... yum!
I am wearing... a pink girly dress... something I bought on a whim from Target last spring.... apparently it's not flattering 'cos Elizabeth poked me in the stomach and said to me "You have a fat tummy!"... Gee... Thanks!
I am creating... a little slideshow of photos of Catherine's first year.
I am going... to play some weird game with Elizabeth that involves throwing up a bunch of ribbons and catching them... completely her idea!
I am reading... lots of various blogs for first birthday party inspiration.
I am hoping... Catherine sleeps better tonight... last night was a bit up and down.
I am hearing... Catch On by Brenda Russell (playing on Vocal Smooth Jazz Sky.FM internet radio)
Around the house... things are looking tidy for a change... let's see how long it lasts!
One of my favorite things... are modern vintage dresses... I am loving this site Shabby Apple... when I get down to my ideal weight and size, I plan on getting something from this site!
From my camera - I just adore this shot 'cos Catherine looks like she's so attached to that cob of corn!

Photo A Day - April 29 - Party Planning

2011-04-29T17:30:00.001+10:00

Well, the plans are starting to come together for Catherine's 1st Birthday which is in 3 weeks time... I've been scouring the net for inspiration and I've found some cute little ideas which I think will make for a lovely girly birthday party for Miss Catherine... :) I love planning kiddie birthday parties... :)

Today, I picked up a couple of these gorgeous vintage-looking cake stands from (of all places) Kmart for a bargain price of $12 each... I'm a sucker for cake stands... I have always, always had a soft spot for them and there's nothing more fun than going to high tea with the girls. I love this cake stand and I can see so many uses for them for morning teas and as a photoshoot prop... :) The little mini bunting was a bit of a test run of a little idea I had and I'm happy with how it turned out so I'm going to be implementing the real thing this week. :)

Photo A Day - April 28 - I Am Not Impressed

2011-04-28T19:06:00.003+10:00

We were playing in Elizabeth's room this afternoon and I thought it would be fun to put Catherine on the pink chair... Let's just say she didn't really like being perched on that chair by herself...

Photo A Day - April 27 - H is for Happy

2011-04-27T17:30:00.002+10:00

Back into the daily grind... Elizabeth is back at kindy today after our school holiday break... Catherine was missing her big sister (she has followed her around constantly during these school holidays), so I took Catherine onto the bed and played tickling games with her to take her mind off it ... we had fun... apparently too much fun she proceeded to have a 2 hr nap this afternoon, which is unheard of! Either that or she was bored without Elizabeth at home!

Can you see that little tooth of hers poking through too? :)

Photo A Day - April 26 - Playing Dollhouse

2011-04-26T20:48:00.002+10:00

***warning, this video is on the big side and may take a little while to load***

Well, one of the latest things that appears to be taking off in the world of photography is "fusion photography" which is, as the name suggests, a compilation of video and stills put together... (preferably in a bit of an artsy, creative way)... it's something that's kind of come about because so many of DSLRs are coming out with excellent video capturing capability.

I thought I would give it try today and utilise that awesome HD video the 5D Mk II apparently has (I can count on one hand the number of times I've used the video on my camera in the 2 years I've had it!) and so I did this little capture of what was pretty much an ordinary day ... Not bad for a first attempt (esp since I also had to learn how to use the software to put this together!) so I actually have plans of doing this again, but in a much more creative way, with way better photos... (I know, today's photos are really, really quite bland and ordinary...)

Photo A Day - April 25 - Kindy Construction

2011-04-25T19:18:00.003+10:00

I did a massive cull today of the art, craft and constructions that Elizabeth has been bringing home from kindy... it was getting out of control and we need space for the new stuff she's going to making and bringing home next term! I took photos of her constructions and let her pick 2 to keep in her room, took photos of the rest and then tossed them. I did the same with her artwork and collage... kept a few, photographed a few, tossed the rest. It's a big task, 'cos (a) she's been an art and craft machine! (b) I'm a sentimental sap and I love seeing how her artistic ability has developed (c) I'm a hoarder by nature... but realistically, we can't keep everything, or we'd be living under a pile of paper and craft! Plus we've got a few more years of this from both Elizabeth and Catherine!!!!

Photo A Day - April 24 - Easter Morning

2011-04-24T09:00:00.001+10:00

Messy bedhair.
Ecletic pajamas.
Mismatching boots.
Homemade easter basket.
Early morning easter egg hunt.
Beautiful light.

(Post to follow later tonight with some happy snaps of our morning)

Happy Easter Everyone...

Christ has risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Photo A Day - April 23 - Spotty Dotty Shorts

2011-04-23T12:51:00.002+10:00

I got these shorts by "Rock Your Baby" for a bargain $10.50 in a recent sale at Ozsale.com.au... they really are the cutest little shorts ever... and it's a bonus that they are in my ever favourite red polka dot pattern ... :)

We went to the park this morning and let Elizabeth run around and play with Dady whilst Catherine and I perched ourselves on a little platform on the play equipment... from this vantage view I managed to get some cute shots of Elizabeth on the suspension bridge... The above shot taken on my 85mm @ ISO 100, f/2.0/, 1/800.

Photo A Day - April 22 - Behold the Cross

2011-04-22T14:24:00.001+10:00

Behold the cross on which was hung
Life’s very Lord, God’s only Son;
Mary’s own babe, so cold and so still,
Helpless before her on Calvary hill.

Nails in his hands, nails in his feet,
A traitor kiss upon his cheek;
And his pierced heart, now broken in two,
Love crucified for me and for you.

Eyes that won’t see, ears that won’t hear,
Lips that deny the friend once so dear;
Slowly he turns and captures your eye,
Then passes on to Calvary to die.

Behold the cross of Christ in our midst:
All those who bear his wounds in their flesh.
Suffering for crimes of mercy and peace,
Signs of the kingdom on Calvary street.

Behold the cross on which was hung
Life’s very Lord, God’s only Son;
Mary’s own babe, so cold and so still,
Helpless before her on Calvary hill.

(Lyrics from Behold the Cross - Bob Hurd)

I love this Easter song, it always brings a tear to my eye... it sums up Good Friday perfectly for me.

Photo A Day - April 21 - 1 Month 'Til She's 1

2011-04-21T16:41:00.000+10:00

She's 11 months today and the countdown 'til Catherine is 1 is starting now! It's not long to go at all, and I have a heap of birthday planning and organising to do! It's going to be so much fun... Elizabeth is already excited... :)

And I wanted to share this shot too, 'cos I got sunflare... :) Catherine looks like she's appreciating the gorgeous light too... :)

(Outfit courtesy of Ong Ba, but Elizabeth actually picked it out when she went shopping with them in Adelaide).

Photo A Day - April 20 - Hidden World

2011-04-20T18:00:00.000+10:00

We caught up with our kindy friends again today at a new playground we have never been to before called "Hidden World"... it's an awesome park and playground and despite a few bumps and scratches, the kids on the whole had a great time.

The playground is really well structured and so colourful... makes me want to be a kid again... :)

Photo A Day - April 19 - I Dig Dinos

2011-04-19T18:00:00.001+10:00

We spent a day at the museum today going to the "I Dig Dinos" exhibition/activities that are currently on during the school holidays... we caught up with some friends and the kids had a great time.

Photos all taken on the iphone, as I can't cope lugging around the DSLR when I have two kids in tow...

These shots taken when we first got to the museum. The first activity Elizabeth did was to do a crayon rubbing of a dinosaur and then she made a dinosaur out of plasticine and put it on display on the shelves with lots of other dinosaurs that other kids had made. Hers was called a "Sauruscrum/Crumstegasaurus" and it eats "trees, fish, dolphins and seeds"!

Those top photos are of this person dressed up as a very realistic dinosaur that made pretty damn scary dinosaur roaring noises... this is so something that I think Ty would have enjoyed seeing... (and for some reason, I can totally see Ty dressing up as this dinosaur). Quite a few of the smaller kids freaked out... and Elizabeth was a little nervous at first, but then she figured out it was just a person inside it when she saw the legs... smart cookie. The bottom photos are the girls dressed up as archeologists (but they look a lot like council workers if you ask me!) and they got to dig/fossick for dinosaur bones in this great big pit...

More fun... puzzles, looking at various things at the museum... and Catherine fell asleep all by herself in the stroller for the first time ever! :)

Dinosaur masks, dinosaur tails... and that was about as much activity as our munchkins could handle. Both girls fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Photo A Day - April 18 - Apple Munching Ragamuffin

2011-04-18T22:11:00.002+10:00

She's eating apple.
She's got a scratch on her nose.
She's not sleeping well at night.
She's cranky and irritable during the day .
She doesn't like eating food off a spoon.
A day in the life of Catherine... I'm putting it down to teething, but it could be anything really... she's starting to drive me a little crazy!

Photo A Day - April 17 - Toy Bus

2011-04-17T15:54:00.003+10:00

Last weekend Phan took Elizabeth out shopping one afternoon... he took her into Toys'R'Us and asked her if she wanted to pick out a new toy for herself... After a lot of pondering, Elizabeth picked out this toy bus and said she wanted to get it for Catherine.... *awwwww*... Truth be told, Elizabeth quite likes playing with it too, but it is definitely Catherine's toy because she will always let Catherine play with it... She picked well, 'cos her little sister loves it!

Photo A Day - April 16 - Birthday

2011-04-16T22:00:00.000+10:00

Lots of photos today to illustrate our day spent celebrating Daddy's birthday...

What Elizabeth made for Daddy... Several pictures and a brown paper bag that she decorated and is his "going out bag". The decorated box is what the following was in -

Yes, it's a mug with a jumper... :) Elizabeth picked it out all by herself... Which was definitely the better option 'cos she initally wanted to buy Phan a woman's checked jacket from Target (????!!!!) and then when we were looking at coffee mugs she was tossing up between this one and a pastel pink one with BFF on it and "best friends forever" written on the inside of it... She picked well in the end... :)

The family (and Chi and Mitch) chipped in together and contributed towards this for Phan's birthday... Bilstein suspension and new wheels/tyres for his car... Apparently they are awesome and an absolute bargain... They arrived yesterday and are getting fitted on Monday... Phan's happy... :)

We went out to the local pub and had steak for lunch... Possibly the fastest steak meal we've ever had, we had ordered it and eaten it in 45 minutes! So we went to our favourite little french cafe afterwards for afternoon tea as well...

And what's a birthday without cake! We made Phan a Nutella Cake today... it doesn't have any flour or any sugar in it... however it does contain an entire 400g jar of nutella! Indulgent? Yes! Delicious? Absolutely! The chocolate icing is oozing off the sides because Elizabeth insisted on helping to spread it... so it's not attractive, but it's made with love! Elizabeth also decided she wanted to decorate the cake with a minimalist scattering of hearts... (She didn't want to put any more than that little sprinkling!)

Photo A Day - April 15 - My Big Sister Thinks This Is Funny

2011-04-15T17:01:00.000+10:00

This morning I had just quickly hopped in the shower and when I came out, Elizabeth was in her room changing out of pjs and Catherine was sitting in the open area of the house all on her lonesome with a random toy lemon on her head! (It's half of a toy lemon with velcro in the middle (so it can be cut in half)... so the velcro was making it stick to her hair really well!)... I burst out laughing when I saw her and I called out to Elizabeth and asked her "What did you do to Catherine?" and she goes "I put a lemon on her head... *insert giggle and general cheeky sniggering*... I think it's funny!" While Elizabeth and I found it amusing, I think Catherine begs to differ!

Photo A Day - April 14 - Shhhh, I've Got A Secret...

2011-04-14T21:09:00.003+10:00

We went shopping the other day for a little something for Phan's birthday and I told Elizabeth that it was a secret and we couldn't tell Daddy about it yet...

However, the minute he got home.. she ran up to him and started whispering... "It's a secret.. shhhh... we bought you a present..."... And then she loudly proclaimed, "We looked for a shirt for you but we couldn't find *anything*... we walked alot and it took a long time!"... *insert eye roll from me*... So he knows he's not getting a shirt! Then all evening over dinner she kept telling us off when Phan and I were talking at a normal decibel... She would keep going "You're making too much noise! Ssshhhhh, it's a secret... 4 more sleeps"... There is no way we were going to be whispering for the next 4 days! And then at one point she caved and started telling Phan what we got him, but in her whispering voice and with the cutest most excited expression on her face... I think she figured if she kept whispering it was still a secret... LOL... Lucky, Phan couldn't make out what she was saying when she was whispering... so it's still a surprise! She's just bursting at the seams to tell him ... Not long to go...

(This shot taken with the macro.)

Photo A Day - April 13 - Basketball Groupies

2011-04-13T17:00:00.000+10:00

Today we went to the skate park and caught up with some kindy friends... The four kidlets had an awesome time riding their scooters around and then playing some weird game where they rolled scooters down a ramp! After a while, they took a break and started watching this guy shooting some hoops by himself. They cheered and clapped (exuberantly I might add!) everytime he got a shot in... I don't know what the guy was thinking, but all of us mums thought it was pretty cute and hilarious!

My Photography Journey (a post for Hollie)

2011-04-12T21:20:00.003+10:00

Hollie, who is one my blog readers from the States, commented on a blog post of mine about a month ago asking if I had taken a photography course or if I'm self taught. (Hi Hollie... *waves* - thanks for asking the question!) I think at the time I was in Adelaide for Ty and Bao's wedding so I couldn't write a reply, but I've only just got around to writing something about it and thought I would write a blog post detailing my photography journey so far...

Just before Elizabeth was born at the end of 2006, Phan decided to buy our first DSLR... a Canon 400D... Before he bought it, I told him straight out that I would probably not use it because it was so big (oh how I laugh at that now!), and because I wouldn't have the time or energy to learn how to use it with a new baby in our lives... He bought the camera anyway, telling me he would learn to use it and take all the photos... Little did I know, that he never ever really had any intention of learning how to use it... he was just going to use it in auto... but he just knew there would come a day when I would want to learn how to use a DSLR and take better photographs... LOL... how well does he know me?! And as it turned out, I well and truly proved him right and I am ever thankful that he did decide to buy that first DSLR.

My desire to take better photographs stemmed from me getting into digital scrapbooking about 4 months after Elizabeth was born... I came across an Australian photographer/digital scrapbooker named Melinda Alexander... her photographs were amazing and her LOs which featured these amazing photographs were something I decided to aspire towards. (Funnily enough, I don't think she digital scrapbooks anymore and she has her own photography business.) And so my photography journey started some 9 months after Elizabeth was born in August 2007.

I am mostly self taught in photography... all the technical aspects of photography I learnt through the internet and from reading various photography forums... I also bought the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson which I think is an excellent book for those starting out in photography and trying to grasp an understanding of the triangle of exposure (ISO, aperture and shutter speed). During this time I also started to learn about post-processing my images... I started out using actions from Itty Bitty Actions and some Lily Blue presets when I was starting out... but my style has completely changed and I don't ever use them now.

And then at the end of 2009, Sheye Rosemeyer (someone who I have loved and admired both as a person and as a photographer) started to offer some online workshops. I figured this was as close as I was going to ever be able to get to doing some kind of a photography course. With Elizabeth being young (and clingy!) plus Phan working variable hours, it was going to be a long time if I was to wait and do a course that involved actual commited contact hours. So I signed up for Sheye's Evolve course... which was really more about taking the next step, taking those technical aspects and turning it into something more creative. I learnt so much in those 6 weeks about the thought process involved in photography and how to challenge myself... it was one of the best things I've ever done.

And that is it... the rest has just been lots and lots of practise... (I'm lucky I have cute subjects to practise on!) I use Photoshop CS5 for my processing and I'm a huge fan of Eye Candy Actions (I run at least something from this action set on most of my images) and recently I've discovered My Four Hens Actions. I'm also beginning to develop my own set for actions that I go to when I want something basic. I'm still quite torn about what my processing style is because I do love a natural pop of colour but at the same time I also am drawn towards the arty vintage tones too... I do a mix of both at the moment, but I'm hoping at some point I'll figure out "who i am" and I'll have a consistent style of processing.

It's now been almost 4 years since I decided to become a "photography enthusiast"... I've moved on from the 400D and now I shoot with a Canon 5D Mk II with a 24-70mm f2.8 L most of the time. Also in my toolkit I have a 100mm f2.8 IS L, 85mm f1.8, 580EX speedlite and reflector. On my wishlist... a 16-35mm 2.8 for if we ever go travelling overseas... and after our photoshoot with Sheye, I'm now lusting over a tilt-shift (although I need to see how I would cope with manual focusing first before I commit to any such decision!)...

Three tips I thought I might share that might help those of you who are starting out.

1. Light
Learn to read the light - you can't fix bad light. Look at where it's coming from, look at it's intensity, look at the shadows, check if it's even. Avoid taking photos in dappled light, nothing worse than uneven dappled light. If shooting with lots of light, try backlighting your subject.

2. Make it Sharp and Keep it in Focus
I love a good sharp, in focus photo image. If taking a portrait, you must have sharp eyes, as that is the first thing that draws your eye to the image. Small people are notoriously hard to take sharp images of because they move so fast, so I personally tend to up my shutter speed and change my ISO and Av to compensate to make sure I can get a sharp image. I'm willing to accept a slightly noisy image if it means I get a sharp shot. Like light, you can't fix an out of focus image.

3. Composition
Follow the rule of thirds when composing your photos. Look at different angles. Consider capturing the surrounding environment to give your photos context. Shoot at different f stops to capture different details.

And I thought I'd finish this post off with a couple of before and afters -

Notice how in the photo of Elizabeth, I also cloned out her foot... I didn't like the way it looked like it was growing out of her head! I'm normally pretty crap at cloning, but I was happy with how that turned out... :)

Okay, if you've read all that, I'm impressed! :) You either must (1) be family (2) be bored or (3) really like me. But thanks for reading the ramble... I plan on sharing a few more of my insights on what I've learnt even though really I just feel like I'm at the beginning of my photography journey...

Photo A Day - April 12 - Party Animal

2011-04-12T17:36:00.004+10:00

The little one was crazy last night and decided to party it up and not sleep for about 2 hours of the night... and then wanted to start the day at 4:30am until I made her lie down and she finally fell asleep and then decided to have a massive lie in until 7:15am!

I know this photo is not particularly spectacular until I tell you it was shot it near darkness at ISO 25600, f/2.8, 1/125 using manual focus...

Photo A Day - April 11 - Fave T-Shirt

2011-04-11T22:11:00.003+10:00

I loved putting Elizabeth in this t-shirt when she was little... it would always make me smile seeing that cute little saying on it... and now I love that Catherine is big enough to wear it :)... it's a little worn out, but it's still cute...

Photo A Day - April 10 - The Sunhat

2011-04-10T20:32:00.004+10:00

So after seeing our oh-so-beautiful photos from Sheye this weekend, it's left me feeling rather pathetic and inferior in my photographic ability... I can only stand from afar and admire her amazing talent and awesomeness... but I'm now inspired to challenge myself more and reach a new level in my photography.

So, today I decided to try and take some photos in the afternoon light at the park, we took a famiy stroll down to the park... Elizabeth on her bike (she's still terrible at steering!) and Catherine for the first time ever was happy to sit in her stroller and be pushed to the park. Once we got there, Elizabeth ran a riot, making Phan chase after her and play hide and seek... and I setup Catherine as my obliging model... :) I made myself use my 85mm today (I was somewhat inspired to use my prime more after seeing Phong's latest photos with his 135mm)... and I made myself shoot wide open at f/1.8... And I have to say, I'm pretty happy with what I got today...

Although, Catherine was none too impressed with the hat, and promptly refused to wear it after the first 5 minutes...

And then she got a bit bored, so I gave her a biscuit to eat -

Which she then mostly got all over her face and dropped all over the picnic blanket...

And I just wanted to share this one 'cos her lashes look sooo sweet and dreamy here -

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-04-10T07:00:00.002+10:00

Fei Fei's Stuff has just released a really cool new template this weekend called Outlined No. 6

She is also guesting at Digital Crea for the month of April and she released this absolutey beautiful kit earlier this week called Marina Walk ... just gorgeous peaceful colours perfect for those beach photos from the summer -

And I've done my first double page LO with it -

Simple Woman's Daybook - Photo A Day - April 9

2011-04-09T13:18:00.008+10:00

So here's my Simple Woman's Daybook entry for today -

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... It is slightly overcast... there is a gentle cool breeze... it's actually refreshing.
I am thinking... about how hard it's going to be to choose photos from our photoshoot with Sheye... they are all so beautiful.
I am thankful for... Phan being back home from the conference in Perth. How we've missed him and we are all so happy to have him home... esp Elizabeth. She missed him a lot!
From the kitchen... we are having Bun Thang for dinner tonight (it's a vietnamese noodle soup dish with rice vermicelli, chicken, finely sliced egg strips and vietnamese pork loaf)... it's one my favourite soup dishes that Mum used to make for me and I'm pleased to say Elizabeth loves it too.
I am wearing... trackpants and a faded orange tshirt.
I am creating... some beanies for my friend Thao to use in some baby photoshoots she has lined up soon... :)
I am going... to go looking for some afternoon light if the weather holds out...
I am reading... "The Crafty Kid" by Kelly Doust... I got it for Christmas from Vinnie and Ko... I love it... and I need some ideas to entertain Elizabeth next week since school holidays have started for us and she has no kindy for 2 weeks!
I am hoping... to have an afternoon nap.
I am hearing... the theme song music to Giggle and Hoot.
Around the house... I have just used our new Dyson to vacuum our carpets this morning... Our old Dyson is dying and the turbine head stopped working... so we got a new one with a fancy schmancy motorhead... sucks up so much more dirt than the old one... I vacuumed 3 days ago, but you'd think I hadn't vacummed in a month by the amount of dust in the vacuum barrel.
One of my favorite things... I love warm, balmy summer nights... I find them so peaceful and relaxing and the perfect time for contemplation.
A few plans for the rest of the week: a massage for me, catchup with some kindy mums, start planning Catherine's 1st birthday party.

And my photo-a-day entry today is related to the photoshoot we had done.

We got our online gallery of images from our family photoshoot with the amazing Sheye Rosemeyer last night. I absolutely love them and can't stop smiling about how they turned out... To say that there were everything that I wanted would be an understatement... The photos capture our little family perfectly at this moment in time. And now comes the impossible task of deciding which photos I want printed for our photo wall... I'm planning to have an entire wall in our house back in Adelaide featuring photos from the shoot... Just one of the many reasons I'm looking forward to moving back home... :)

Photo A Day - April 8 - That Says "Zoo"

2011-04-08T17:00:00.000+10:00

Elizabeth, Catherine and I were hanging out in the loungeroom this morning when Elizabeth pointed at the pajamas Catherine was wearing and said to me matter-of-factly - "Mum, that word says 'Zoo'"... I was amazed that she had recognised it correctly! I asked her how she knew that and she said to me "'Cos it does... Z-O-O... it says 'Zoo'"... She is so keen to read!

Photo A Day - April 7 - My Easter Bunny

2011-04-07T21:02:00.003+10:00

So the headband we have with bunny ears broke today (We've used it for the last 3 years and mostly pulled it out at Easter time) and Elizabeth was lamenting as she moped around the house "But what can I wear to be the Easter Bunny?"... Then she came up with the idea of making ears, all by herself. She picked out the paper, I cut out the ears and she helped stick it all together. She makes a pretty cute bunny... :)

I had actually had plans of taking photos outside today, but the weather decided to be wildly erratic and alternated between beautiful sunshine with blue skies to pelting wildly down with rain for 10 minutes before clearing up again. Crazy Brisbane weather... Maybe tomorrow will be better...

Photo A Day - April 6 - Catherine the Monster

2011-04-06T17:35:00.000+10:00

(It's a happy snap today, but the story is too cute not to share...)

The following happened in our loungeroom this morning...

{Elizabeth is playing in her Elmo tent}

E: "Agh... there's a monster... a monster... look out it's monster Catherine!"

C: *insert baby babble here*...
{she tries to get into the tent}

E: {trying to stop Catherine from getting in the tent}
"No... No... Catherine... You can't come in... Go away... Go away Catherine... Go away!"

C: {starts giggling and laughing in the most irresistable way at Elizabeth}

E: {lets Catherine into the tent}
Look Mum, Catherine's in the tent... I let her in.

The moral of the story... if you're a cute giggling monster, you'll get your way... :)

Photo A Day - April 5 - It's Too Small

2011-04-06T07:35:00.003+10:00

While in the process of going through Elizabeth's old clothes to find some things for Catherine to wear this winter, we found this knitted vest that Ba had knitted for her when she was about 6-12 months... She thought she would try it on for size again... LOL...

Photo A Day - April 3 & April 4

2011-04-04T20:48:00.005+10:00

April 3 - The Crochet Hat
So I've been looking through Elizabeth's old clothes looking for clothes that will fit Catherine now that the weather is cooling down and I came across a whole bunch of hats and beanies... I was wanting to take a photo of both Catherine and Elizabeth wearing a variety of different hats, but Catherine is a bit sick at the moment (runny nose and a bit of a cough) and as result, didn't want to play along. So I had to settle with taking a couple of shots of Elizabeth. This crochet hat was sent to us when Elizabeth was born from my aunties and uncles in Vietnam... I have sentimental attachment to anything that is sent to us from Vietnam because I know how hard life is there and how little they have and yet they still manage to find a way to send us something...

April 4 - Tippy Toes
The little girl is loving pulling herself to a standing position and trying to grab anything within reach... She also often gets stuck in the standing position and needs help getting back down again.

Scrapbooking Sunday

2011-04-03T20:45:00.000+10:00

First off at Owl Tree Studios, the new forums and gallery are open... and along with that there are some delightful new lovelies that have been released too -

Wild Blueberry Ink has released Felicity... It has such lovely bold bright happy colours that I can't help but smile at -

And this one also makes use of Joey Lynn's Fun Pack No. 4 Templates

Wild Blueberry Ink also release Hope last week and I used it with some of the elements in Felicity in these LOs -

There are also some new designers guesting at Owl Tree Studios for April... First is
Allison Pennington with this great collection Lulubelle

And Makita Studios is our other guest at Owl Tree Studios this month and has released this gorgeous kit Love In Bloom.

I've also been on a bit of a roll with the scrapping lately (I just worked out I did
38 LOs last month! That's a record for me!), so here's a couple more pages -

This one was for the March Copycat Challenge at Oscraps -

Oh and I learnt how to do clustering with a fabulous tutorial that Ona wrote as part of the March Techniques challenge at Oscraps... This is probably the first page I've ever really done proper clustering... and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, even if I did spend several hours on it!

This one I scrapped 'cos I was feeling nostalgic about Elizabeth growing up...

Thanks for tuning in this Sunday, have a great week everyone!

Simple Woman's Daybook + Photo A Day April 2

2011-04-02T12:00:00.003+10:00

I've came across this concept that a few of my digi-scrapper blogger friends are doing called The Simple Woman's Daybook where everyday is a blank page and we can take a few moments to look at the simplicity and beauty of each day... It's really my kind of thing as I love to take a moment to reflect, so I thought I would give it a go...

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the air is clean and clear without the humidity... There are blue skies and beautiful sunshine... It's a glorious day.
I am thinking... of my hubby being away from us for 4 days... going to miss him a lot.
I am thankful for... a napping baby and lovely considerate 4 year old girl.
From the kitchen... we made apple muffins today
I am wearing... a white t-shirt and brown maternity pants that I've worn through 2 pregnancies... They are so baggy and daggy on me now, but oh so comfortable.
I am creating... a lot of scrapbooking layouts.
I am going... to search through Elizabeth's old clothes to find some things for Catherine to wear as the weather cools down.
I am reading... the Woolworths food magazine that I got for free when grocery shopping yesterday.
I am hoping... to not be too sleep deprived these next four days without Phan to help me.
I am hearing... Hot Potato from the Wiggles coming from the iPad.
Around the house... I need to clean up... it's getting out of control around here.
One of my favorite things... is a glass of ice cold apple tea with a sprig of mint.
A few plans for the rest of the week: tidy my computer desk, take photos, scrap, cook, sleep.

And I thought I would also incorporate my photo-a-day entry into today's post as well -

And the recipe for anyone who's interested -

Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (80mL) olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup low fat natural yoghurt ( I used a 170g tub of cheesecake flavoured dairy farmer's yoghurt + 1/3 cup of milk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 red apple, grated (with skin on is fine)
• ½ cup pecans, chopped (or walnuts or almonds) (didn't use, 'cos Elizabeth is anti-nuts)
• ½ cup dates, chopped (didn't use, didn't have any in the house)
• brown sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C and place paper cases in muffin tray.
Sift flour and cinnamon into large mixing bowl, add caster sugar.
In a glass jug, measure out oil (to 1/3 cup), add yoghurt (to 11/3 cup) and eggs, whisk to combine.
Pour liquid into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Stir in apple, pecans and dates.
Spoon mixture into paper cases.
Top each muffin with 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Notes:
Doesn't use a lot of oil, so the muffins stick a bit to the paper cases, but it's still a yummy, moist recipe.

Photo A Day - April 1 - Matching

2011-04-01T12:28:00.003+10:00

The autumn weather has finally arrived, so I finally had a chance to put the girls in their matching dresses courtesy of Auntie Chi and Uncle Mitch.... Thank you... we love them! (Esp Elizabeth... she keeps telling me it's a beautiful princess dress!) We weren't actually going anywhere special... just grocery shopping... but I figure I have to get some use out of these dresses before they outgrow them!

I thought i would kick of the month with this post for the first day of month to get the motivation going for those who are joining in the photo-a-day! So let's see your pics Mitch, Phong and Thao! Anybody else is welcome to join in... leave me a comment! :)