Erin's Musings

Hi! This week's post is a lot different from normal post because I wanted to do an outfit post. I'm not really into fashion unless you consider "nerdy comfort" and "on a budget" fashionable. However, I thought it would be really fun to share an outfit I put together. It was inspired by the Hayao Miyazaki animated film "Kiki's Delivery Service"   What I'm wearing- Dress: Old Navy $8; Belt: Goodwill $2; Tank: Old Navy $2; Shoes: Hamrick's $10; Bow: Rugged Wearhouse $1

A while back, I posted about raising hens for eggs and how we were in the process of building a coop. The coop has been finished for about a month now and, as I promised, here it is is all it's awesomeness! This coop is large enough for 20+ chickens, but at the moment only three are living in it. There is a 10x10 run behind the coop that will be expanded when more hens are added.  Inside the coop is a three rung roost, feeder, three hatching boxes, a small chicken door that leads into the run, and a door for cleaning and refreshing the feeder. It's crazy at how big they've gotten right before my eyes! Snape, Fawkes, and/or Tilly (black, red and white respectivly) just started laying eggs a couple of weeks ago. At this point, I'm pretty sure only one is laying and we get about one egg every few days. The eggs started small and have gotten progressively larger as the days go by.   Sometimes, we give them "treats" from the garden. They get e...

I wasn't until the end of last week that I realized I had completely forgotten to write a blog post! That's why I've decided to fill you on on what I've been up to lately: I'm throwing my brother and his fiancee a shower so I've been doing a lot of idea gathering (read: wasting time on pintrest) and crafting. I've watched all seven seasons of BBC's Doctor Who reboot and have been absolutely enthralled in that show (David Tennant, anyone?). I also have recently obtained a Fuji Instax 210 Instant film camera. I've had my eye on one of these for awhile, but I finally caved and bought one. Here are the first few shoots I took with it...   Onward to summer fun and productivity! -Erin

I love shooting around my house. There are so many plants and trees and it makes the perfect back drop for spur of the moment photo shoots. On occasion I even get to witness spectacular sunsets from my very own porch.    And you know if I'm ever shooting around the house, Mowgli edges himself into the frame. I swear he loves being in front of the camera... Then, my older brother calls me up and asks if I want to take some night/long-exposure shots. When do I ever turn down a night shoot? How about...never! I'm blessed to have a brother as talented and creative as him. Seriously, he has such knack with composition and being at the right place and the right time. Please check out some of his work on flickr. On a different note, I'm pretty excited about this summer and the new prospects that's going on. I have a shoot scheduled for this weekend and a few promising bridal shoots for this coming summer.

A few weeks ago, my family bought three young hens from the local high school's agricultural department. They are about three weeks away from being fully mature and then we'll be able to collect their eggs! Right now the chickens are staying in a dog kennel, but we're in the process of building a coop and setting up a fenced area for them to roam around.     (L to R: Fawkes, Snape, and Attila) I was a little worried that my pal, Mowgli, would act aggressive toward them, but luckily that is not the case. Though, he does like to watch and play with the girls. He has even proven to be a great asset at "herding" them back into the kennel. I am so excited about collecting eggs from my very own free range chickens! I'll post some shots of the coop when it's finished.

I intended to snap some photos of birds that were frolicking in my front yard, but dear ol' Mowgli scared them all away. It seem that birds keep an even wider radius when your companion is a fuzzy feline. I was able to get a several decent shots of my fellow and a few more "artsy" shots. All in all it was a pretty productive day. I have only recently been shooting in RAW (verses JPEG) and I honestly don't think I could ever go back. It seems that the finish product is clearer and has more character after a little editing. What do you guys think? RAW vs JPEG, Editing vs Not.

As of lately I've completely neglected photography. I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I've picked up a camera and snapped a picture (especially one that is worth looking at). In between working, writing bible lessons, cleaning and making sure Mowgli is behaving himself, it seems that it has been lost in the chaos. Not to mention it being a bit cold out (though not as cold as it should be). I know this is just part of the winter season, but I would very much like to get that creative feeling that comes with the changing of the seasons already. Despite all the craziness, I have been able to make a few Valentine cards here and there, but I really have to step up my game as far as that goes. I have so many more to make and less than two weeks to finish, yikes! I've been baking a bit more than normal. I discovered a wonder microwave cake-in-mug recipe that I'll have to share and I actually made a cake from scratch that was edible and quite...

(1) ..wishing I had a macro lens (2) Mowgli helped me set up the photo booth for the Halloween party. (3) "Killer Klown" card (4) I love fall! (5) Old cars make nice photos. (6) Mowgli loves to go on walks too!