The Notebook: October Edition

I started a lot of projects this month and probably should have thought twice about that, but I made it through the month with most of them done!  

November came in with a bang though!  The first was chilly and rainy – one of those sit around the house and drink hot tea and read.

Making

I made Anna and Elsa costumes for my girls for Halloween this year.  These were so simple, especially the Elsa costume!  Taryn had specific requirements for her Elsa costume which included a train that went along the ground, high heels, and a tutu.  And I whipped it all together!  Kendall’s costume was another story which took a do-over on my part.  I couldn’t really find a pattern so I pieced it together myself using a couple of things in her closet to help pattern the cape.  Then, piecing it together I didn’t fully think it out and messed up enough that I didn’t feel like ripping the extremely tight seams in fleece, so I started over.   I did buy the Anna wig from Amazon and it really did top off the costume.  I think they turned out great!

I made a free traceable preschool calendar for November for you!  Click here for the pdf.

Learning

I started the Intro to Natural Light class on October 6 over at Clickin’ Moms, and in the first week I learned so much my head hurt.  I’ll definitely revisit the material again because it is a lot to take in with only 4 weeks of class.  I loved this class and hope I can take the secondary class to this on Mastering Natural Light Indoors. Below are some results!

Doing

A big project we took on this month was to prepare our house for the market.  It took more work than we thought!  And we still have a few things we need to do but hopefully it is all worth it! 

I started my 365 photography project on October 1st – a photo a day for 1 year taken, processed and shared.  I am hoping to accomplish two things:  to find and refine my style and to improve my overall photography.  Since I was taking the natural light class this month I thought I would focus on light for October.  I did but not for every photo.  I hope to repeat it another month.  November I will focus on creative processing (maybe – it’s a big one).  You can follow my project here or here.  So far 33 days are up!

I did my first engagement session this past week and am busy editing right now but am almost through it!  Here are a few!

I added a new print to my Society 6 shop!  It is available as an art print, canvas, laptop skin, iPhone cover or skin etc!

I also completed the 31 Day Challenge this month in full!  You can read all about motivational running by starting here.

I told you I started a lot of projects this month!

Reading

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger – When I first began this book I immediately knew I was going to like it only because of his writing style.  It is beautiful, simple yet written like a master storyteller.  Really, it feels like he is sitting there at your kitchen table telling you the story.  The story itself is a beautiful and thoughtful one, focusing mostly on one boy’s understanding of his father’s relationship with God and his own faith in his father.

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon – I bought the book because I’ve heard it recommended in many places along with his other book Steal Like An Artist.  It is small and I already knew the premise on which the book is written so I was nervous I wouldn’t find it worth reading.  Instead I found not only reasons to share your work and the process everyday but also tips and ideas on how to do that.  He also has some great chapters on the importance of getting out there and ways to motivate yourself to put your work out there.

Great Stuff on the Web

I was featured again from the #cmglimpse Instagram challenge!  You can see the photo over mkmscott in this article.

This TED talk by Peter Hurley and Anna Rowley on who you are in front of a camera is different than who we believe we are in reality.  An interesting look at our self-esteem and how we view ourselves.  And Miss Universe hates her own pictures???!

Once again, the history teacher in me chooses an article on photography and history.

This article by Glenn Doyle Melton is from the end of September but I finally got around to reading it in early October and I think it is poignant for anyone raising children. 

I found this great little blog and etsy shop that makes the cutest dolls!  Check her out at Neverland Nook and her Shop.

The Albums is my new favorite place to share photos.  No ads! And it is beautifully minimalistic.  Plus they feature a family oriented daily prompt for instagram at #instaprompt.  Check them out!  Not only are they friendly but family oriented and I’m loving it.

My Favorite Photos of the Month!