Lilac Saloon

Quiet Happy New Year

Evan and I are ringing in the new year quietly this year.  Quietly, but so happily!!

We are waiting for our friend Megan to arrive.  She's making the drive from Michigan to North Carolina and we are a nice pit-stop in between.  

I've got Brie Stuffed Mushrooms in the oven, a glass of White Zinfandel by my side and a load of laundry in the dryer.  All is right in my world!

Ev and I are going to pop in another disc of The Office (thanks MOM!!) and relax until Megan arrives.  Then it's pizza and breadsticks, more wine and celebrating the arrival of 2010!

Now seriously, back to those mushrooms.  My cooking mentor, Pioneer Woman, posted the recipe on her blog today so naturally here I am trying it.

 
Pictured are HER mushrooms, not mine.  I can't say mine will be as beautiful but I do think they'll be just as delicious.

Click here for the recipe!

iPhone Photo Diary 2009

Dear iPhone,

Thank you for being with me every day for the past two years.  Yes, I know, it has been that long!  We've yet to grow tired of one another.  A milestone!

One thing I did not realize about you was how, without my knowing, you'd capture random moments of my every day life.  Not necessarily "camera worthy" moments in which I'd make the effort to take a real picture with my real camera.  Just... stuff and things... things that might otherwise have gone un-photographed.  I actually don't even LOOK at these photos much after taking them!  They go into the phone and they stay there, hanging out.  

Well iPhone, I'd like to take a look back at 2009 with you and see it through your eyes!

2009, in order, through the eyes of my phone...

 
 









 
 








                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 
  

In sum, lots of cats, clothes and skies.

Can't wait for 2010!

Project 365

 
 

The new year is approaching and as it does, I usually like to do a couple things.  

• Recap the year.
• Start a new project or goal for the year to come.

I'm excited because I already have ideas for BOTH of these!

This year, I'm recapping the year in a different way than I usually do.  In past years I have written a long list of "events" in my journal.  Or, in blog form, written a long post of events with pictures that highlight main happenings of the year.  

I have recently thought about the fact that I've been carrying around my iPhone for the past 2 straight years; snapping pictures as I go.  Not always well thought-out pictures.  Not always of grand events marking parts of my year.  Just pieces and moments and bits of time.  Things the "real" camera didn't capture.  Only important enough to be snapped by the ever-handy iPhone.

This year we're going to take a look back in time through - not words or events - just iPhone pictures.  I think it will do a nice job of giving the essence of the year.  I'm excited to share the finished product.

For my "new project" of the year, I've decided that I want to do Project 365.  This project is to try to take a picture each day for one year.  Missing a day or five, or not making it through the year, no worries.  Trying to find a moment to capture the moment is the goal.  Improving my photo taking abilities is the secondary goal.  I'll be starting this on January 1st so that it will be easy to track.  I will also be posting these pictures online.  I'll either blog them, post them on Flickr, or both.
We'll see how it goes.  I don't want it to become a chore... I want it to be a fun outlet.  So maybe weekly photo uploads will be more realistic!

Look forward to A Year In Review: iPhone Photos!

Incentive: Apron

A friend of mine has been trying to lose her "baby weight".  After 2 kids, the female body just doesn't like to go back to the way it was.  Unless, that is, you're Heidi Klum.  In THAT case, you walk in the Victoria's Secret fashion show only four MONTHS after giving birth.  I didn't make that up... she really did just do all that.  

Anyway, back on track.  My friend wanted to lose 20 pounds.  She was having trouble losing the last couple of pounds so I told her I'd make her an apron if she did it.  Well guess what?  She totally did it!  

Keeping my word, I made her an apron in her favorite colors: pink, black and green.

I think she loved it.

I hope she uses it to make things like fancy salads and grilled chicken with low-fat marinade and not... oh... crisco covered cake with donuts on top.  That would be counterproductive.  That wasn't my goal.  

This apron is so fun to make!  Who wants one??

Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens

When I bought my DSLR a couple of weeks ago, one of the lenses I ordered was a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens.  I had been shooting my first pictures with the 17-55mm zoom lens because... well... it can zoom and I'm a newbie so it just seemed easier.  

Finally I decided to suck it up and learn how to use my fixed focal length 85mm lens.  For those who are new to (or know nothing about) photography - this lens doesn't zoom in and out at all.  When you look through the lens with an 85mm... it looks like you're way closer to the subject than you actually are.  "Objects through lens are not as close as they appear."

It makes it trickier to shoot indoors in a small room.  You have to back way up from the object you want to take photos of.  The plus side to this lens is that it provides a low number aperature of 1.8 which makes the backgrounds of the pictures very blurry!  That, my friends, is a VERY beautiful thing.

I really need to take this lens outdoors because in natural light it will be able to take amazing, amazing pictures.

With all that said, here are a couple of indoor test shots with the 85mm lens.