• Canon & Nikon are nearly equal. It basically comes down to personal opinion/experience with the brand. I’m not coming from this perspective. I’ve had positive experience with several brands.

My first memories of a camera are my dad having a Nikon, and him selling it to pay for life. Shortly after (or part of the exchange) he gave me a Brownie, with black & white film. I had other 110 & 35mm’s with color film throughout high school.

I had an Olympus 21 years ago. I loved it.  I wore it out.

I had a Canon 12 years ago. I loved it.  I wore it out.

I had a Sony 7 years ago. I loved it. I wore it out.

The Olympus was my high school graduation gift from my parents. It was a 35mm film camera. I loved everything about that camera, it was never very far from me, but it developed a leak in a seal allowing light it. At that point digital had come on the scene (or at least at a price for more public to own them) & it would have cost more to fix than to buy a new camera. The Canon was my first digital point-and-shoot, again from my parents – but for Christmas. It was a great camera. I used it up too. The Sony was the first camera I bought for myself. I knew I wanted to learn more about photography. I didn’t learn anything – but I had an awesome camera! :-D. I absolutely LOVED the 18x zoom and the macro I could set on a piece of material and it would focus & take an amazing picture. I love the pictures from that camera, any pictures I’m posting from last year are most likely from the Sony.

Now, I’ve determined I want to learn photography to take “real photos”, with a “real” camera. I’ve been so disappointed with the Nikon, but everything I read I have to believe I got the fluke bad camera and all will be good next time. For sure, I will be trying it out hard & testing to make sure I like it. If I don’t, then it’ll go back. It won’t sit in the box for over 30 days before I try it….

• Supposedly Nikon’s glass is a touch better, but it isn’t by much.
• Canon & Nikon alternate one best feature for another. It really comes to how it feels in your hand – which is going to be different for each person. For me personally, the Canon makes my thumb/wrist hurt to hold it & try to push the button – I went and tried again today. It’s a pretty much obvious – I can’t expect to take lots of pictures if it hurts to take one. That hand cramp is why I bought the Nikon over the Canon last year. 
• So… do any of you have any suggestions or recommendations on whether to get another D3100 or move up to a D5100? I have felt a D7000 in my hands, but from what I read there isn’t much different between the D5000 & D7100 — except the feel in my hand. Is it worth the couple extra hundred? Ugh – decisions!

[Source]

So – what does that have to do with my lateness on posting today? I spent the time I planned to write listening to my daughter spill her heart’s burdens. Being 12 is so hard. I thought it was over 20 years ago; I can’t imagine now, in today’s society. I remember the insecurity, the struggle to figure who is really your friend. I am so hoping and praying she has a better understanding of this than I did. It’s taken me until the last few years to learn how to stand up for myself and I still don’t do it well. I figured you wouldn’t mind. You would forgive me :-).

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Today I am Giving Thanks for: Children. Time. Childhood

Children: I am so thankful for my children. They are indeed a heritage from the Lord. As hard as being a single mom is, I’m glad I have them. Last night was just me. That doesn’t happen very often {maybe 5 or 6 times}; it was quiet. I didn’t watch a movie or even have music with words. But I’m ready to have them back today. I can’t imagine having split custody. I know my growth has happened because I am a mom and just had to keep going. No matter what I felt like.

Time: I have had lots of time with my daughter this week. Unexpectedly we had three days. at home. {sigh}  Not only did the non-moving pace do me wonders, we had time to just be. Vince had several opportunities come up, since Wednesday morning he has been here for 12 hours – 9:30pm to 9:30am on Thursday. But it’s been good. He got friend time and Christine & I had some good connect time. We needed that time after the brutal week last week – honestly, since she turned 12 it’s not been that great. The last several days felt normal – as in before she turned 12 – it was awesome! {See below for more about my thankfulness for time this week}

Childhood: I ache for children to get to have an innocent childhood. Our culture, society, is rushing them to grow up so fast. I often feel like a stick-in-the-mud for saying ‘no’ to so much of what today expects is normal. I don’t believe we need to be on the go constantly. I see so many kids who are just tired. and not able to appreciate whatever event they are because they’re focused on the next. No matter how much they forward to something, it’s all about the next event. plan. place they have to be.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Because we got to stay home {the time I mentioned above in Giving Thanks} the last 3 days I got to sew. Christine had asked me to make her a quilt for her bed. In 20 mins she picked out all the material – over 2 months ago. She has been waiting patiently. When she picked the material I really didn’t like it. I kept thinking ‘Ick! these don’t go together’, but it was all material she really wanted. So I got it. I don’t usually start with a pattern, only an idea. So there weren’t right or wrong quantities to get of each – just is there enough or not?

It started out as being a quilt for her bed. She wanted a disappearing 9 patch. then a quilt to curl up in. then just a “big blanket to cover everything, including my toes.” {I’ve made her two other quilts – one for her crib, one for the toddler bed. neither are quite big enough}.

But I love it! She did an amazing job with colors and patterns. She just grabbed and didn’t have a favorite — it takes me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to pick material and then I’m tired of it before I finish.

My sets of 3 strips sewn together and cut to make the 9 patch. About here I decided I didn’t like 9 patch blocks after all. {I’ve mentioned loving flowers….never noticed all the flowers around the head of my bed. 3 in frames, on the lamp, and the wood box says ‘petite fleurs’. and yes, my iron has turquoise duct tape holding the handle together :-)}

At this point, I really didn’t like 9 patches. But my points were lining up — love my new machine! Also, I thought why on earth am I going to cut these apart to make the disappearing 9 patch?!  But I did for several. Until I was sick of trying to turn them the right way – what a pain! I sewed many together wrong. I did not pick them out & re-sew, I just kept going! Have to admit I’m appreciating shedding the perfectionist in me. I get things done quicker when I let go a bit… 

When I started this not-twin size disappearing 9 patch quilt…. I made the 9 patch blocks then started cutting them apart & re-sewing together. Decided I didn’t like doing that any more. so there are 9 patch blocks in the center, outlined in a tone-on-tone print brown {from material I had here at home – good thing I had it too! Even though I don’t remember what I actually bought it for.}, then the disappearing 9 patch blocks, with more of the brown to fill in the spaces….

The finished result of all my “mistakes”…My points don’t match, I didn’t measure – which is why there are brown chunks…also noticing I goofed the left corner spacing up. uh, duh.  oh well. Personally, I think the materials are a bit too busy for the disappearing 9 patch. around the edges they are fine, but I think the whole top would have been gaggy.

For the back I used one piece of material. Of course, I didn’t measure, it wasn’t wide enough, so I added 3″ strips on both sides. I did not do a binding. I sewed inside out and flipped it. then sewed around the edges. I stitched in the ditch around the center brown piece and did blanket ties for the rest.

This is a close up of the backside flipped over to the front. The curvy is what I stitched around the outside edge after flipping it right side out. The straight stitch in the ditch is what I did around the center brown square.

So what is it? it isn’t all quilted. it isn’t all tied. there is no outer binding. does that make it a quilt or a blanket? Who knows, but it covers all of her! It is mismatched and she loves it. She is 12 and wanted a blanket to wrap up in, made by mom. She wanted it in time for the lock-in she went to last night. Score – I had it tied, folded, and in the bag 3 hours before she left. Nailed it!

I’m linking up for the first time with Studio JRU for ‘in the studio…sneak peek friday‘. The intent is to share what we’ve created during the week and encourage others who are creating too.

**I sent my camera off last night. I’m hoping they are able to fix it to be the way so many talk about their D3100’s or deem it unfixable and give me the money so I can start all over with purchasing one. I really hope this is not a camera I can’t ever trust – or do anything about.**

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I’m still holding out for my dream … Someday, Lord willing, I will get to see Washington DC in April {& again in fall, whenever that is, and in winter too}.  April is my birthday month, maybe someday I will see real cherry trees and cherry tree blossoms for my birthday :-D.

Keep reading for a more explanatory version :-D!

For a very long time I have loved cherry blossoms.  I don’t recall ever having seen cherry blossoms in real life. When, as a young adult, I lived out of Alaska for a couple years – I thought the flowering trees I was seeing then were cherry blossoms.  About five years ago, when looking at a friend’s photo of cherry blossoms, I realized they weren’t the same.  I learned then, the ones I thought in Oct ’95-Feb ’98 were actually dogwood trees.  I was pretty disappointed, don’t get me wrong – I think flowering trees are beautiful {no matter what they are} and I really wish we had flowering trees in Alaska!  I wished growing up we had such things in either northern Wisconsin or Alaska…the two states I have spent the bulk of my life in.  The disappointing knowledge I hadn’t in fact actually seen a real cherry tree blossom caused me to even more GREATLY desire to see real cherry blossoms.  Someday.

I have always equated spring, Washington DC, and cherry blossoms … someday.  As excited as I was to have the opportunity to travel to Washington DC last year, it was in October.  I have always wanted to see the East Coast in the fall.  What I discovered was October is the end of fall in Alaska, but fall hadn’t even started in Washington DC. So, while I got to see Washington DC, I got to see the Capitol and the Washington Monument for real, with my own eyeballs, not just a picture – I didn’t get to see cherry blossoms and I didn’t get to see it in the fall.  For that matter, the Reflection Pool was under construction and was actually a hole – the bottom was dug up, with no water in it, not even a mud puddle.  No reflecting.  I know I promised pictures of our trip in October, but my camera was tired and it really didn’t focus that great or take the pictures I expected/anticipated.  I will work on finding some of the best, but it was pretty disappointing {to say the least} to have my first trip to DC not be well documented with photos.

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Yep – I played with PicMonkey.  😀  I made myself a file of screen savers & now I get to enjoy a different picture every 30 minutes. {Let me rephrase: A picture I have taken myself.  Pictures kind of like I see at beautiful Post Road Vintage — I love Heather’s pictures!}  It has been a wonderful way to keep good memories fresh, while my face is glued to the computer.  It helps me enjoy and remember all of God’s blessings.

I got to play with a couple lens’ and we collectively determined there is in fact something wrong with my lens and my camera.  My lens didn’t perform as well as the other two 18-55 VR that came on their cameras – and when I put a 55-200 it was w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l, but didn’t perform the same as on the owners camera.  So, at least I know now for sure.  Just have to wait out the year so the extra protection plan I purchased will kick in.  Unless, I get up the time & energy to argue with Nikon directly again.  We’ll see.

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So here’s a post of all pretty pictures! From several camera sources, all mine, but from two different cameras and my iPhone.  😀

From just last week — Nikon camera & a friend’s lens.

At the cabin — iPhone & Nikon camera with my lens

Sony point-and-shoot camera:  For the upcoming seasons.Notice the lake is frozen – those are rocks sitting on top.  …and here are a couple photos at -30*, since there are so many of you having record heat this summer {read: we are NOT, we had record snow last winter and have had a record cold summer}.

Linking up to Donna @ Funky Junk‘s “pretty scenery pictures” link party.

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