365 Days of Photos

17/365 Makes Me Smile: The View On My Run

This year I want to become a better photographer. I have a feeling that doing a 365 photo project is the perfect motivator to keep me consistant. Heaven knows I need the structure.  However, true to fashion I want to do mine a little different. I still plan on posting one photo a day for the year, but those photos may not have been taken the same day I post it. I want to work with a different theme each month. While some themes works really well for finding that one photo for the day other themes like “Portraits” and “Travel” are something I would like more time to pull together.

January’s theme is “Makes Me Smile”. This has been so good for me. The beginning of this project has been less about growing as a photographer and more about focusing on the positive. Looking for something that makes me smile every day has helped me count my blessings and reminded me of the pleasure found in little things. It’s been a hard couple of weeks. I can’t put my finger on what has me looking on the darker side, but finding that something that makes me smile every day has helped me stay grounded. Here are some of my favorites so far. Feel free to check out the rest of them on Instagram or my Flickr stream.

4/365 Makes Me Smile: Blanket Forts

5/365 Makes Me Smile: Being Creative

7/365 Makes Me Smile: The View

8/365 Makes Me Smile: Seeing Mark On Stage

18/365 Makes Me Smile: Sprinkles

 

 

by christinepeel Posted on January 25, 2013
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Chocolate Cake Goodness

                                   Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

I gave up desserts at the beginning of the year. I’m only doing it for the month of January, but Mark is playing around with the idea of doing it for a year. No thank you! I’ll admit I needed to cut back after the holidays. However unlike some other people that stop craving sugar when they abstain, my cravings continue. Lately I’ve been craving chocolate cake. I can’t even count the time I’ve moaned “I want cake,” to Mark. I’ve even started browsing recipes for the perfect cake to break my fast. There’s about a week left of this “no dessert” torture. Then I think I’m going to bake this beautiful Chocolate Buttermilk Cake from A Beautiful Mess.

by christinepeel Posted on January 23, 2013
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Happy Birthday Mark!

I can honestly say there is no one like you my love. Your dreams are huge but in your mind never far out of reach. You stand out in a crowd yet take notice of the one person alone. You are humble, compassionate, bold, hard working, and simply hilarious. May this be a year full of laughter, dreams coming true, and really good memories.  xoxo

by christinepeel Posted on January 21, 2013
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The Kittens

Cora

Bud

Over the last three months our lives have been turned upside down. We took in two kittens that had been living in my friend’s backyard, wild feral kittens. These guys were amazing though, they quickly went from completely freaking out by being held to letting me hold and groom them within 3 days. Although I’d love to think I’m the kitten whisperer, the time my friends spent feeding and playing with these kittens with out a doubt made all the difference. It’s been a long transition. For two weeks we kept them in a small room so they felt safe. After the vet cleared them of any contagious diseases we spent another week of slowly introducing them to our other cats. There was a lot of hissing and bullying from Boo, which really surprised me since he’s our sweet scaredy cat. However Locke who is normally pretty grumpy took to the kittens right away. I think the days after the kittens got spayed and neutered felt the longest. They were sent home with pain medication as well as these ridiculous e-collars. Now that Bud and Cora have completely recovered they are finally able to run around, play with the other cats and settle into our family. They are still a handful though. There has been peeing on our bed, knocking over of all sorts of things, and harassing us when we eat anything that might be of interest to them. They make it up though with their generous purring and incredible enthusiasm. Yes we have four cats. Yes I know how crazy that sounds but I’m okay with that.

Recovering and looking ridiculous.

Mark and Cora

There has been lots of cuddling going on here which makes me very happy.

Brother and sister time.

Boo and Cora

Locke and Bud

by christinepeel Posted on November 14, 2012
Posted in Cats, Personal | 3 Comments

Re-imagined Disney Movie Posters

This happens to be one of my favorite trends right now. I love that people are taking  films and re-imagining the movie posters. This is my kind of fan art. Here are a few of my Disney favorites. If you want to see more work by these two artists  just click the posters to be directed to their websites.

 

 

by christinepeel Posted on October 24, 2012
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I’m a Runner

I started running last April. I’d never run more then a mile in my life and there I was training for a half-marathon. Trust me there were times when I questioned my sanity. Why couldn’t I start with a 5k? I was in a place in my life where I needed to set a goal and reach it. So when a friend invited me to run the “Hershey Half Marathon” I thought this was it. I ran the half-marathon a year ago yesterday and have run two 10ks since. Yet I’ve struggled calling myself a “runner”. That somehow I had not earned the title. I would never think that about anyone else but, that’s how I felt about myself. That’s why I love this quote from John Bingham so much. After reading this I felt silly not not being able to say I was a runner. What test was I looking to pass? What membership card was I waiting for? I’ve been a runner for over a year now. I’m going to be a runner for a long time to come.

by christinepeel Posted on October 17, 2012
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The Thank You Card

 I recently grabbed long over due time with a good friend. It was one of those let me fill you in on everything that’s been going on this year kind of times.  It had been a busy year for both of us. Even though we had seen each other there was never time to have those deep talks that keep friendships close. We drank tea, ate lunch, and poured our hearts out to each other.  The next time I saw her she handed me a thank you card. I was so excited. I knew she would be saying all sorts of encouraging things in this card. She’s not one for a simple thank you.  It also reminded me of how often I can be silent. How many times have I noticed something good, inspiring, even genius in someone else? How many people have moved me, gave me courage, and warmed my heart? Have I spoken up like I should? The simple act of handing me a thank you card challenged me to say thank you to someone else. To share more often with people the good I saw in them. Thank you my dear friend.

by christinepeel Posted on October 15, 2012
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Pumpkin Goodness

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

There is something about autumn that makes me want to eat and drink anything with pumpkin in it. In fact one Thanksgiving I went a little crazy with the pumpkin pie. Okay not a little crazy, more like a lot crazy. I ate an embarrassing amount of pie. Ever since it’s not been high on my list. I’m not completely done with pumpkin pie, but I only eat one slice a year. Thank goodness there is all sorts of other pumpkin yumminess out there. Just click the image to be directed to the recipe. 🙂

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

 

Pumpkin Spice Vietnamese Iced Coffee
by christinepeel Posted on October 10, 2012
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments