read and respond....

...as today is Hannah's 15th Birthday...

Of course, I her mother, had to hijack her blog. I was on her computer {using photoshop -- and sigh -- yes, half the time she has to help me} looking for some pictures and pulled these that were some outtakes from a recent photoshoot.  I've seen her working on them  {for her photography site} but I love them as they seem to capture who Hannah truly is -- a beautiful daughter of mine, who can be silly, is a thinker, and blessing to our family, and deep down has this beautiful heart and love for the Lord.

So, now, what are ya waiting for?
Click that comment link and leave sweet Birthday wishes!!

Thanks so much, Hannah's blogging friends!

{love ya, Hanni girl}

~mom

giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the blog design giveaway!
and the winner is...


Stay tuned for another giveaway coming up, sweet friends!
Loads of love,
Hannah

A Spring Look for YOU { giveaway }

Today, because the weather is deliciously springy outside and I'm drinking a sweet cup of tea, I thought it was high time for a little giveaway. Since the world outside is fresh and blooming, why not freshen up your site too?

I'm excited to announce the opening of my new blog design site, Hannah Nicole Designs! I've been planning, branding, designing, coding, and creating this site for several months, so I'm ecstatic to reveal the finished product.



And what better way to say hello to Spring and a new site than with a giveaway? Here's how to win a New Blog Design valued at $100...

Mandatory Entry

Comment and tell me what your favorite part about spring is. Love the flowers, fruit, or the warm weather? Let me know and you're entered to win.

Extra Entries

• Follow Aspire
• Tweet/facebook/blog this giveaway (each worth one entry)

Make sure to leave a new comment for each entry. Giveaway runs from May 21st - May 28th and closes at 11:59 EST. Good luck, sweet friends!

Loads of love,
Hannah

Lovely Photo Wednesday!

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/Lovely%20Photo%20Wednesday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Lovely Photo - Wordless or Not-So-Wordless Wednesday at Aspire" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/LovelyPhoto.png" align="center" /></a>Hello sweet friends! Thank you all so much for your input on whether to continue One Word or bring back Lovely Photo. I'm so excited to have Lovely Photo Back -- because truthfully, I missed it. And I missed seeing your lovely photos! So this week, I'm excited to start it up again.

My photo? It's definitely exciting because of the backstory. See that lady? That's my lovely momma. And see that beautiful bracelet? She's giving one away on her blog. Just thought I'd let you know. ;) The co-creator of the bracelets is our wonderful friend Amy -- the same woman who sat with my mom in the hospital with Sam. Did I mention she homeschools? And has five boys? We're part of the same church too. Our families are really closed, and I know that we're blessed by their friendship.

And that bracelet? It's not just a pretty design. It's personal. Tells your story. Holds your photos. Keeps your memories close. Head over to my mom's blog to enter to win it! (and make sure to come back and link up your lovely photo!)

If you haven't played along before, link up your lovely photo and tell us a bit about it, or nothing at all. Write what you want or don't say anything, but share a picture and link it up below. Then, remember to bloghop around a bit and comment on at least three other entries. Ready? Go! :)

Spring Bloom Giveaway Winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!
I loved being able to share the fabulous necklaces of Erin (Little Bird * be absolutely lovely).
And now, the winner is...

Congratulations! Send me your address and you'll have a beautiful new spring necklace coming your way!
Thanks again friends -- stay tuned for another lovely giveaway! :-)

Much love.
Hannah

One Word Wednesday — Nostalgic ( or nostalgia )

It's the third week of One Word Wednesday. The word (or theme) for this week is Nostalgic. What memory or sight makes you smile at its bittersweetness? Melancholy memories may be welcomed at times, but sometimes, it's the sweeter thoughts of times before that make you smile. My memory? This fairy house at my grandparents. It's been hanging on the kitchen lamp for as long as I can remember, and almost all of us grandkids have sat on the long wooden table as babies, staring up at it as my grandpa twirled it.

A few more details...

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/one%20word%20wednesday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="One Word Wednesday at Aspire" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/onewordwednesday.png" align="center" /></a>Every week, there will be a a new word. On Wednesday, you can link up your photo with that word. For example, if the word was water, you could link up a photo you took of rain. It's like a photo challenge without any pressure. Just a weekly photo meme link up. Sound fun? Good. :-)

Some guidelines...

• The photo must be one that you've taken.
• If you've got multiple linkups/photos, note which one is for One Word Wednesday.
• Make sure to include the button in your post.
• And most importantly, make sure to bloghop around a bit and visit and leave a comment on three other entries. It's more fun that way! :-)

One Word Wednesday — ( signs of ) Spring

Spring is finally (but slowly) appearing where I live and with the lovely Spring Bloom Giveaway to celebrate that (make sure to enter), today's One Word Wednesday is ( signs of ) Spring. My photo? The sight of the snow melting on the road. It was that or a picture of a thermometer reading 38 degrees -- because that's warm here! ;)

A few more details...

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/one%20word%20wednesday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="One Word Wednesday at Aspire" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/onewordwednesday.png" align="center" /></a>Every week, there will be a a new word. On Wednesday, you can link up your photo with that word. For example, if the word was water, you could link up a photo you took of rain. It's like a photo challenge without any pressure. Just a weekly photo meme link up. Sound fun? Good. :-)

Some guidelines...

• The photo must be one that you've taken.
• If you've got multiple linkups/photos, note which one is for One Word Wednesday.
• Make sure to include the button in your post.
• And most importantly, make sure to bloghop around a bit and visit and leave a comment on three other entries. It's more fun that way! :-)

( tutorial ) Simple Edit vs. Vintage

Today, I thought it would be fun (and perhaps informative) to add a little tutorial on a couple different editing styles and how they can complete a photo. I grabbed a photo from a quick shoot that I did with Chloe last month and edited it in two ways in order to highlight a few techniques that will hopefully come in handy with your own editing! Ready? Let's go! :)

Simple Edit.

I started off with a basic photo of Chloe. The exposure was pretty good, with her face being a little dark due to backlight, but overall, it was a decent picture.

First, I added a curves layer and made a dramatic s-curve. However, I didn't like the blown out background so I inverted the mask layer, and then painted in Chloe. The contrast was pretty strong, and as a result, I put the first output at 183.

Aferwards, I duplicated the background layer (CTRL + J on Windows) and put it on Soft Light at 25%.

Are you with me so far? Good!

I loved the colors in the photo and wanted to give them a little boost, so I added a vibrance layer at Vibrance + 25 and Saturation +3. (should be on the right sidebar OR, go to Image >> Adjustments >> Vibrance.)

The photo was looking pretty good, but I wanted the image to be a little brighter, so I added a Levels adjustment and put it at this:



I selected all the layers and merged them ( CTRL + E on Windows), then duplicated the background layer and put it on Soft Light, then went to Filter >> Other >> Highpass and did a highpass at 1.5. The sharpness was too strong for me, so I put the layer at 35%.

That completed the simple edit and clean look I was going for. It's a fast and effective way to brighten up and boost a photo. Here's the Before & After.

Vintage Edit.

Let's say you've got a little more time on your hands and are looking for a fun way to edit your photos -- or maybe you're looking for a vintage or retro look. Or, maybe you just wanna play around in photoshop (which I definitely like to do sometimes. ;)) This is one of my favorite ways to finish my photos up. I like to try to replicate film effects sometimes, but today, here's just a fairly simple vintage edit.

Again, I started with the same photo of Chloe and added a slight s-curve, copied the background layer and put it at Soft Light 25%, and under that, copied the background again and set it at Screen 15%.

Now here's where the fun really begins. :)

I added a levels layer and put the settings at this:


There's a big difference already! After that, I click this button and add a #f2f05f color at Exclusion 4%. I repeated that and added a #e6264a Soft Light at 25%, #26ade6 Screen at 15%, and a #4f0c3b Lighten layer at 5%.

Here's where we are so far.


Since all the layer levels were added, the contrast needed to be bumped up again, therefore I went back to my Soft Light Layer (the one that was a copy of my background) and raised it to 75%. I also went back to my #e6264a Soft Light Layer and lowered it to 15%.

I wanted a bit more color boost, so I went back to my curves layer and inside of switching the RGB, edited the Red, Green, and Blue layers.


The image was looking pretty good, so to finish it off, I added a Photo Filter (Warming Filter) at 15%, flattened the photo, and that finished the edit! Again, here's the before and after.

Conclusion.

If you're looking for a simple, fresh way to edit your photos, then brightening, sharpening, and boosting the colors and contrast to your image will (usually) finish it off nicely. However, if want a more extensive and vintage editing style, then the steps that I put out can be tweaked nicely to fit any photo that you have. The main thing is to remember to experiment -- photoshop is fun to play around in! :)

Just for fun, I've added a few more before and after images processed using some actions from my Opal Vintage set (created by me).

So there you have it! Hopefully my little tutorial was helpful, informative, or just fun to read! I use photoshop cs4 to edit all my images (and absolutely love it), but from what I've heard, you can do almost everything that you can do in photoshop in elements.

Have a favorite editing style? Any actions/textures that you just love? Please share -- I'd love to know! :-)

Much love -- and happy editing!:)
Hannah

One Word Wednesday — Joyful ( faces )

It's the first week of One Word Wednesday! If you missed the announcement on Monday, check out the little info block on the side. This week's theme is Joyful ( faces ). With all the snow on the ground where I live, it's been a bit gray and cold lately, so I would love to see all of your smiling faces! That's enough to add a bit of sunshine into my day. ;) Really though, I'm excited to see all of your photos -- even if they have a bit of snow in them. So make sure to link up and head back on Thursday or Friday to see if your photo was featured. :)

A few more details...

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/one%20word%20wednesday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="One Word Wednesday at Aspire" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/onewordwednesday.png" align="center" /></a>Every week, there will be a a new word. On Wednesday, you can link up your photo with that word. For example, if the word was water, you could link up a photo you took of rain. It's like a photo challenge without any pressure. Just a weekly photo meme link up. Sound fun? Good. :-)

Some guidelines...

• The photo must be one that you've taken.
• If you've got multiple linkups/photos, note which one is for One Word Wednesday.
• Make sure to include the button in your post.
• And most importantly, make sure to bloghop around a bit and visit and leave a comment on three other entries. It's more fun that way! :-)

(excited about this!) Introducing...

Since I stopped Lovely Photo Wednesday, I've kind of been missing seeing all of your lovely photos. And by kind of, I mean really missing it! I loved seeing all the different photos that you all linked up, and in turn, it was fun to meet more of you. The creativity that you all displayed was inspiring and it was a blast to see all the linkups!

That's why I'm extremely excited to announce the arrival of...

One Word Wednesday ( at Aspire )

A few more details...

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/one%20word%20wednesday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="One Word Wednesday at Aspire" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/onewordwednesday.png" align="center" /></a>Every week, there will be a a new word. On Wednesday, you can link up your photo with that word. For example, if the word was water, you could link up a photo you took of rain. It's like a photo challenge without any pressure. Just a weekly photo meme link up. Sound fun? Good. :-)

Some guidelines...

• The photo must be one that you've taken.
• If you've got multiple linkups/photos, note which one is for One Word Wednesday.
• Make sure to include the button in your post.
• And most importantly, make sure to bloghop around a bit and visit and leave a comment on three other entries. It's more fun that way! :-)

This Wednesday will be the start of One Word Wednesday. And the theme for this week?

Joyful ( faces )

With all this gray wintry weather, I would love to see all of your smiling, sunny faces. Got a cute grin from a sibling to share? What about a laugh that you were so excited to capture? Or maybe it's a shy smile from a sweet baby? Whatever the photo, link it up! I'd love to see it.

Linky will be up on Wednesday. I might share a few favorite photos come Friday. We'll see. ;-) So make sure to link your photo up! If you don't, I'll feel bad and will probably take the link down. Hee hee...okay, kidding, but really, the more the merrier! :-) Now, go along and get your photo ready! And remember to swing by on Wednesday to share it with all of us.

Much love.
Hannah

PS Questions about my mom and my collaboration? No worries! We're going to be posting about it on Sundays instead of Wednesdays, partially due to One Word Wednesday, and also because we're still looking for some ideas. Got a few? Just leave a comment. ;-)

Thoughts of Spring Blog Party!

The ever lovely Lynnette Kraft is hosting an absolutely fabulous blog party over at her amazing site! You should join. Really. Go, go, go! Write your post and link up! It's bound to be loads of fun -- and did I mention that there are some sweeeeeeet giveaway items? Mhm...Head on over! You'll thank me. And on that note...here are my answers to the fun questions she posted. First up though, a little intro to those who DON'T know me!

My name is Hannah -- I'm a teenaged gal who spends her time (er, mine) taking pictures, writing, laughing, singing, ballet dancing, playing with siblings, and reading. Love my family and friends (and hanging with them!) and am so grateful for this life I've been blessed with. A little bit quirky and definitely love to laugh. Most of all though, I love Jesus. Want to know more? Head on over to my about me page. But for some random facts, well, read on...;)

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?

Passionate -- my mom says. I think I agree. :)

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life?

Perhaps I'm lame in the fact that I'm not a big celeb fan -- ha! However, I guess if I saw anyone from Food Network, I might freak a bit...;)

Who is your favorite blogger? Why?

I've come to the conclusion that I don't have a favorite blogger. I have many bloggers that I love and for many different reasons (you can check the complete list out here). But usually, authenticity, good writing, and photography draw me in. And if you take pretty pictures of food, I might stay. ;)

What is your comfort food/drink?

Drink: Coffee or a big 'ol cup of White Chai. That's right, I'm talking Teavana! ;) And for Food: Probably a bowl of Moose Tracks Ice Cream. Or Orange chicken. Or egrolls. Or pasta fresca. Or...well, I kinda just like food. ;)

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself.

I'm double-jointed in my toes on my right foot. Weird? Maybe. Random? Yes!

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it?

Well, I would really love to shoot a wedding or take engagement shots OR do some mission photography.

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?

Uhhhhm...probably a wide mix of all of 'em. I love watching a good story unfold and if it's funny at times and there's some clean romance along with some jaw-dropping action, then I'm sold!

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?

My favorite AUTHORS are Jane Austen, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, L. M. Montgomery, Lois Lowry, Ted Dekker, and Shannon Hale. But for genres...I love fantasy. After that, I enjoy sci-fi, historical fiction, devotionals (or Christian books on various subjects) and I admit it: I read my XHTML/CSS book for fun. Yeahhh...;)

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types?

I'm so bad with this genre stuff -- ha! I like Christian Rock and Pop, Big Band, Jazz, Swing, Classical, and a little country thrown in for good measure -- but not too much!

If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money?

Presents for my family first -- new clothes, toys, books, games, furniture, maybe a new house. ;) And then after that, I'd buy a Canon MKD 5 II, a bunch of lenses, a Mac, and then go on a shopping spree (clothes and furniture -- that's right, I'm talking Ikea, Kohls, and Anthropologie! ;) Then I'd donate a lot of it to our church/various missions or organizations I believed in. And then into my college fund. :)

Name one weakness of yours (confession is good for the soul).

When I'm irritated, I can be snippy. Need to work on pleasant words even when I don't feel like taking the time to be kind! And I bite my nails. Really ragged. I know. Working on that...

If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?

I love MN, but probably New Zealand or Italy.

Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or some perform some other strange feat?

I don't really have any strange talents, unless you count being able to do the splits...but that's pretty normal for a dancer. I suppose it all depends on your definition of strange...

What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift).

I was tempted to skip this one. ;) Probably anything artsy -- writing, photography, singing, and dancing.

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?

It's sounds really crazy, but I love walking into Menards and smelling the wood. Seriously. It probably stems from days spent working with my dad -- building decks or laying tile or painting walls. But yeah. That sawdusty smell is better than any perfume. Ahhh...so good.

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?

Usually talked more, but it depends on the event.

If money wasn’t a factor, what stores would you shop in?

Probably still Kohls. Ha! ;)

What is your greatest fear?

I hate needles, blood, and anything having to do with a blooddraw.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Ask me when I'm ninety. Then I'll have a better idea. But for now...would probably say that leading worship for our church's youth retreat (along with my really good friends, Alex, Jake, Ryan, and Seth). That was a pretty big milestone and definitely a huge blessing.

What are your favorite animals?

I'm kinda an animal-not-carer. I don't dislike them, but I don't like them either, really. Though, I definitely admire the beauty of wild cats and I love the bright splashes of color on several types of birds.

Are you a hopeless romantic?

Yes. Definitely, completely, yes. :)

What movie or book character can you most relate to?

Anne Shirley -- my mom just yelled a great, "YES -- Anne Shirley, totally."



Well, that was fun! Head over and link your blog up -- and then leave a comment. I'd love to come and check out your site too! :) And I can't wait to read YOUR answers. Perhaps in the midst of all this spring cheer, the temperature will get up to forty here in Minnesoooooota...;)

Much Love.
Hannah

I can't believe I forgot...

...my own two year blogaversary!

And by several weeks, too! I guess in the craziness of the past month or so, it completely slipped my mind.

I started blogging here, on January 24th, 2009. If you go back to see my first entries it's definitely a bit humorous. When I first started blogging, it was for the sake of having a blog. Now, I write because I like it -- I love being able to share my life, thoughts, and all the small things we miss out on in the everyday. And in turn, I love being able to catch a glimpse of your life through your blog. Blogging makes connections.

Through the past two years, I have been so blessed by all of you -- your comments, emails, and prayers have meant the world to me, and I am grateful for you all. That you take the time to read Aspire means so much.

I am grateful.

Grateful that I have the opportunity to write. Grateful that there is a community of people who take time out of their busy lives to read and comment. Grateful that there are connections made and friendships formed.

Looking back on the past year, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite posts. Some of these posts are silly, some are sad, some have a lotta grit, some are goofy, several of them nostalgic, but all of them are keeping with Life is Sweet. And a gift. I am blessed.

January 2010
Open Hands >> My Life at the Moment

February 2010
He Waited >> Noah's Story
Tying His Shoes >> My Road to Healing. (I would recommend reading this one -- gives a bit of a backstory into my life when my dad had cancer)

March 2010
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to live in vivid joy...
It's time to LIVE real and wholly and COMPLETE

April 2010
Freedom.

May 2010
Wanna see how weird I really am?? And NEW LIFE!
My name is Hannah...and I'm okay with it.
Someday I'm gonna fly...
Sometimes I wish...
My summer lists
Overwhelmed by His love.

June 2010
Today was a double cone day...
My sweet morning...
It's all about you, Jesus
Packing them away until later

July 2010
And I'm off!
In one year's time...
Puts it into perspective.
What inspires me.

August 2010
The Watermelon Cake
Just a few things...
Yes...we like pancakes.
Yesterday I made...fudge. (hee hee...love this one!)

September 2010
One last fling.
What really matters?
Miscellany Monday

October 2010
I love breakfast, especially this...
Apples + Caramel = Some Easy Yumminess
My Jesus Saves
He's so big.
Taking a Stand.

November 2010
Free to soar.
JOY in waiting.
A fan of Spaghetti.
Attitude of Gratitude.

December 2010
Guess what today is...
Choosing Thankfulness.
Just in time for Christmas.
Thankful.
(not resolutions) dreams, hopes, and goals for 2011.
It's a new day.

And like I said on my blogaversary last year...

I can't wait to see where Aspire is in another year's time.

So blessed.

So grateful.

Organic Bloom Frame Winner!

First of all, I want to say that I'm sorry that the giveaway winner announcement is a bit late. I haven't been feeling well lately and just felt downright awful earlier today. BUT, I'm a bit better now, so that's good. Prayers would be loved and appreciated though. :)

And now, onto the exciting news -- the giveaway winner is...
Karen of Stairstep boys!

Congrats! You've got a gorgeous frame coming to you, Karen...can't wait to hear what kind you choose. Head over to the Organic Bloom website and pick out a style + color and then email me at aspireblog[at]hotmail[dot]com with your info, and I'll send it along to the Sooters.

Thanks to everyone else who entered! And many thanks to the Sooters who generously donated one of their amazing frames. If you haven't liked them on facebook yet, go do so! :)

Surprise!

Hello friends!
I'm so excited to finally unveil Aspire's new look for 2011. I've worked on it for a bit and couldn't wait any longer to put it up. Of course, I had to keep that blue color that I love, but added some reds and a few light pinks. Some other of the main changes...

• The font is different (did you notice?) ;) While I looooooved Century Gothic, I've been waiting to switch over to georgia. There's something about serif fonts, but then again, I love sans-serifs as well. Which font is your favorite? And I'm talking about generic ones here. ;)
• The main-wrapper & sidebar are different sizes. Pretty self-explanatory. Same large posting area, just a bit smaller than before in order to give a larger sidebar.
• There's a background paper. Another obvious one, but I couldn't resist putting a little background to this blog. Hee hee...I do love the pattern though, and wanted it to be brown with some grays, so I edited it a bit. (it was originally a bright yellow!)

So what do you think friends? I'm excited about the look! Have a redesign for your blog coming up? Let me know -- I'd love to see it. :)

much love & many blessings. ♥
Hannah

PS Organic Bloom Giveaway ends Friday...you have until 11:59 tomorrow night to enter!

Organic Bloom { Giveaway ! }

Giveaway now closed.
Okay...I'm SUPER excited about this. Especially considering that I know a lot of you LOVE photography. And even if you don't really like taking pictures, I know that you're gonna love this giveaway. You ready? Here it goes. A week or so ago, I received this ginormous package. I mean, huge. Inside was this amazingly lovely object...


Still trying to figure out which one of my photos to frame...I'm thinking one of my nature shots, or one taken in December. Also...please excuse the fingerprints! :)
And the best part is? You can win one. The Organic Bloom is generously sponsoring this giveaway. They've offered to give the winner any 11x14 style frame, in any color. They only sell wholesale exclusively to professional photographers now, so here's your chance to win a gorgeous, custom made frame from the talented people behind Organic Bloom, the Sooters!

You excited now? I thought so. Want to know how you can win it? Here's how:

Mandatory Entry:

Comment and let me know something (new) that you're going to do this year. Gonna try sushi? Take a ballet class? Cook a gourmet meal from scratch? Skydive? Grow cucumbers and then make pickles? Whatever it is, let me know, and you're automatically entered to win!

Extra Entries ( each entry is +1 ) :

• Like the Organic Bloom on Facebook
• Follow Aspire (if you're already following, it already counts -- just let me know!)
• Tweet, facebook, or blog about this giveaway. (each worth one entry.)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway will be open until the 14th; entries will close on Thursday, January 13th, at 11:59 CST. You have until then to enter away! So what are you waiting for? :)

Good luck and have a lovely week! :)
--Hannah

Winner! ( and some rambles... )

The winner of the Aspire Photo Challenge, Beginning to look like Christmas is...

Ambrosia Clark

By Ambrosia Clark. I love the colors to this photo -- so many gorgeous golds and beautiful rich tones. And look at that bokeh! You had me at the bokeh.

Congratulations, Ambrosia! Your photo was beautiful and the colors were absolutely stunning. Send me an email at aspireblog[at]hotmail[dot]com with your mailing info to claim your prize! And thanks to everyone who entered -- looking at all the different pictures was a blast! :)

Now for a few updates and rambles...

• For the time being, there won't be any more Aspire Photo Challenges. I LOVED having them and was amazed by all of the gorgeous photos that you all entered, and you can still find many other fun photo challenges on other blogs. Maybe I'll throw one in sporadically, but for right now, they're done.

• I know what my one word is for 2011!

  Want to know what it is? You'll have to wait to find out. Any guesses? :)
• Giveaway coming tomorrow that I know you'll all love! Stay tuned. I'm so excited about it...:)
• Just wanted to take a moment to say that I am SO grateful for my camera. I'm so excited for this coming year and am so very thankful for my Canon. I don't want to ever stop being grateful just because I've already received that which I've waited for -- instead, I want my heart to become even more thankful because I've been blessed.

Now it's off to tidy the kitchen, finish the rest of my school (almost done!) and later on, head off to ballet. See you all tomorrow, sweet friends! God bless your day and year abundantly. :)
--Hannah

Aspire Photo Challenge winner voteoff!

For the Aspire Photo Challenge, Beginning to look a lot like Christmas, there was a tie between two incredible photos. So today, (and today only), will be a vote-off to determine which one is the winner. Which was your favorite? And why? Which one did you vote for?

The two photos sitting at 132 votes each are...

By Ambrosia Clark. I love the colors to this photo -- so many gorgeous golds and beautiful rich tones. And look at that bokeh! You had me at the bokeh.

and...

By Carlotta. I'm not sure what it is with this photo, but whatever it is, I love it. The colors, simplicity, and amazing clarity. Beautiful!

Voting will close tonight at 11:59 CST and winner will be announced tomorrow. Have fun!
--Hannah


PS And stay tuned...super fun giveaway coming Friday -- I KNOW you'll love it! :)

Where have I been?

The last few days have been a mixture of business, not feeling well, and good times. Friday, we met up with our homeschool group and had a hoedown, and let me just tell you that we rocked it as much as we could. There was much laughter that day. Saturday morning, I had "band" rehearsal, then ballet rehearsal from 11:30-5:30 -- came home and was not feeling good at all. My throat was achy, I was sore, as well as being physically & mentally exhausted.

However, the next morning, I was feeling way better. And so glad I was. I was blessed with the opportunity to help lead worship with Alex, Jake, Ryan, Seth, and our worship leader, Josh for our church. I love singing with them -- soli deo gloria! Praising Jesus. :-)

Afterwards, we had a chili-cookoff for our church, went home for a bit, and came back for rehearsal for the Christmas pageant. Immediately after rehearsal we had youth group. (LOVE my church!)

This past week, I worked most of Monday, then had ballet for the remainder, Tuesday I spent the morning at Operation Christmas Child, stayed at ballet and had pilates and ballet. Wednesday I had a class in the morning, came home, and later, had more ballet. Tonight I have ballet again.

You could say that I'm spent. I've been extremely busy lately, to the extent that I'm worn-out. That makes for a pretty tired blogger, friends!

But in the midst of all the chaos and craziness, life has been good. I've been blessed. I've got family and friends who are incredible. And my Jesus is good -- all the time.

So about Lovely Photo Wednesday...I'm sure that you all thought I forgot. But I've decided (after thought) to end LPW. Please don't get me wrong -- I love seeing all of your lovely photos -- however, I felt like I was getting burned out. Maybe I'll start up a new link-up later, or bring it back someday. We'll see. ;)

Also (and this is the last point -- I promise! Sorry for the rambling post) I've been contemplating moving to Wordpress. What are your thoughts on this? Lately, I've been meaning to think seriously about switching platforms, because I love the greater sense of control that you get with wordpress. On the flipside, I don't want to lose all of my sweet readers!

Would write more, friends, but I have a lot to get done today. Miss talking to you all -- how's life been going for you lately? Bless you, friends! :-)

Aspire Photo Challenge - Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

<a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/Aspire%20Photo%20Challenge"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Aspire Photo Challenge" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/aspirephotochallenge-1.png" align="center" /></a><a href="http://manyrandommusings.blogspot.com/search/label/Aspire%20Photo%20Challenge"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Aspire Photo Challenge" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/aspirephotochallenge3.png" align="center" /></a>Who's ready for another

Aspire Photo Challenge

? Since it's a Christmas challenge, I'm going to leave it up till December 24th -- closing it Christmas Eve! Finalists will be announced on 27 (or 28th, loosely) and voting will be up sometime afterwards. So you excited? I sure am! Christmas is my favorite -- favorite time of year, favorite holiday, favorite FAVORITE. ;) I'll just keep on proclaiming it, and I can't wait to see all of your festive photos! (if you didn't catch that, that was an alliteration. Yes, I'm kinda a nerd. ;))

So every contest, challenge, or whatnot has to have rules (let's think of them as guidelines) And here they are...

Christmas Photo Challenge @ Aspire Guidelines

• You may only enter one photo. If you have multiple photos in your post, make sure to state which you're entering. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
• The photo challenge is technically
  Beginning to look a lot like Christmas
  (Christmas Photo Challenge, for short). Basically anything Christmasy -- lights, cookies, winter snow scenes, festive family photos (another alliteration! ;)), present wrapping, gift-shopping, tree pictures, outside lights, decorating, holiday foods -- anything that says the Holidays to you!
• To clarify, you can enter from today, Friday, December 3rd, until
  December 23rd
  , at 11:59 PM CST. Entries will be closed after that.
• You must have one of the Aspire Photo Challenge buttons in your post.
• The photo must be one that you have taken. However, if you have a photo taken by a family member who does not have a blog and would like to enter it, you can as long as you state the fact that it's by a family member.

and...There will be prizes! (to be announced at a later date.)

Just thought I'd let you know. ;)

So what are you waiting for? Go & enter! And make sure to spread the word. Also, after you've linked up,

make sure to visit at least three other entries.

Bloghop around a bit and spread the Christmas spirit! I can't wait to see all of your festive photos. Are you ready? Go! ;)

(short) Stream of Consciousness (and winners!)

Today's post is going to be fairly short because I have a lot to get done...which you'll see if you keep reading. But first, the winners of the Giveaway and the Fall Photo Challenge.

The Winner of the RMichelle Autumnal Collection Version Orange necklace is...

Email me at aspireblog[at]hotmail[dot]com with your address and I'll have RMichelle send you the necklace! :)

And the winner of the Fall Aspire Photo Challenge is Kate!

Kate had the favorite photo for the photo challenge. All of the entries were gorgeous, though! I loved seeing all of your autumn entries. :)

I'm entering a photo challenge...

I'm entering Carlotta's color photo challenge...here's my entry. I have a whole folder of these shots, but this one was one of my favorites...:)

And I'm off!

This weekend I've got a youth retreat from Friday till Sunday morn, and won't be back to the blogging world before then! However, I might write and schedule a few posts for Saturday and Sunday. We'll see. Several of my friends, Alex, Ryan, Jake, Seth and I are leading worship for the retreat, so it should be a blast. We've got one more practice tonight at four before we leave at six, and I think it's gonna be awesome. Soli Deo Gloria! :)

Goodbye to my blogging buddies! Will talk to you soon. But for now, it's off to do school, pack, clean, practice, and get into the word (just a few things to do/get done today). Have any big plans this weekend? I'd love to hear about them. :)