I see Fall everywhere...

I love Fall. It's always been my favorite season. I know there are some who love Summer, or Winter, or Spring, but Fall...well, I'm an autumn gal, through and through. It's the time when you pull out the glue sticks, glitter, and construction paper, grab a few leaves and make a sticky mess decorating for Autumn with kiddos who are practically bursting with excitement. Where you tape up cut-out pumpkins on your windows because, hey, your nine year old sister wanted to welcome Fall. And it's when you go through Caribou (or Starbucks, for those of you who don't have a 'Bou near you), grab a coffee, and then pull on a woolen sweater after seeing the first frost dust the ground.



There's a chill in the air, a crispness that penetrates through the smell of apple cider and the smoke from a bonfire, and an overwhelming sense of revitalization that filters through every single breath. God's glory is proclaimed from every scarlet leaf and every tree bursting with apples.



And it's good. Life is so very good that you can't even describe it. And God is gooder--who cares if it isn't even a word, because it's true. I feel like grabbing a bunch of leaves and throwing them around the house, scattering them like rose petals, because life is good.



And now, with the falling leaves, I'm seeing autumn everywhere.

In candles...


and copper...


On a bottle of glue...


In gourds scattered across our deck, just waiting to be dried out enough for maracas...


as well as corn that's getting ready to be popped into popcorn...


pumpkins...


and this. definitely, completely, one hundred percent in this.


What's your favorite season? Why? And where have you seen fall appearing lately?

life is good. and fall is beautiful.
-hannah

ps. the winner of the Joy photo challenge is Krystle! congratulations. thanks to everyone who played along. be sure to stop by sometime next week for your new assignment! :)

Ask me! :-)

Hello sweet friends! If you haven't figured it out by now, this is a q & a post. Yes. I've seen it on several blogs, and have been meaning to put up a post on my own blog, but as is sometimes (and as of late, usually) the case, I just plumb forgot.

Which brings me to another thing...who invented the phrase, "plumb forgot." Who'd wanna forget a plum? Plumb. Er. I'm digressing.

So ask away, chums! (as Lynnette would say) Any and ALL questions will be answered in a later post this week, provided they aren't rude or inappropriate. Is there anything that you want to know about me? My likes and dislikes? Photography tool of the trade? Canon or Nikon? Chocolate or Coffee? Have at it!

And because every post deserves a picture (well, almost every post) I'll leave you with this...



Have a beautiful Sunday! To quote from my facebook...

How great is our God? Seriously. Can't top Him. He is the definition of AWESOME. Praising Jesus today and everyday. He is so GOOD. "....and my heart will sing, How great, is our God." Oh, overwhelmed with His love today. :-)

Bless you guys. :-)
--Hannah

Joy Photo Challenge Finalists

Again, I loved all of the entries. It was definitely a joyful week. And like before, narrowing it down to only five was tough. But in the end, my favorites were...


By Emily Shae. I love this photo. She's literally just radiant with joy. The colors and tones of the photo are so beautiful--and look at that gorgeous hair.


By Sarah Halstead. Oh goodness. Look at this precious baby's expression. And his dimples!


By Megan. Her face is priceless. Reminds me of when me and my friends get together and try to take pictures--they usually end up with us laughing.


By Darci. That expression! Oh my. And her hair. Such a little darling.


By Krystle. What a a precious moment! And look at her face--so much joy there.

So which is your favorite? Head over to the poll on the sidebar and vote! You can vote for your fave up until Monday! And the photo challenges will be taking a break briefly--or not. Let me know! {Also, I've set up a poll on the sidebar about the photo challenges--I'd love it if you'd vote there as well.}

Lovely Photo Wednesday - Some good 'ol Archive awh's...

<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>Sometimes, when I'm at a loss for a photo, or even what to post, I'll look back into my photo album archives on my computer, searching for a picture. And sometimes, I'll find something that makes me go, "Oh, I remember that."

This was one of those times. Eli was getting his hair cut and he was not happy. Or at least, he pretended not to be. We don't really know with him. But hey, at least he's cute.



If you haven't played along before, link up your lovely photo and tell us a bit about it, or none 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!

Where have I been?

I know--I said I'd announce the winner of the Black & White Portrait Challenge on Sunday. Yet, I completely forgot...I had so much that was going on and a lot on my mind. But the favorite photo was BE's...



Make sure to head over and congratulate her! And thanks to everyone who entered--I loved looking at all of the entries. Those were some wonderful black and white photos! :-)

Now the reason of my absence (at least partly)...

Since last Tuesday, my left foot/ankle has been bugging me for quite a bit. Especially the days after I had ballet. I ended up missing several classes. Finally, on Friday night (the 1st) we were walking around KOHL's and I was in a good amount of pain. (there's an oxymoron for you!) We headed to an urgent care, yet found out that their X-ray machine was broken.

Yes, broken.

So, we headed to another urgent care that was literally a minute away. Long story short, they took an x-ray and the doctor didn't really know what it was, but he gave me an aircast to wear. They referred us to an Orthopaedic Center and on Saturday, I went into ballet, my mom and I talked with my instructor, and then we headed down to the Orthopaedic Center. They were amazing! They took several x-rays and were incredible. Knew exactly what they were talking about.

They gave me a walking boot to wear and now I'm off ballet for two weeks, and have physical therapy twice a week. After the two weeks are up, I have to go back in for a reevaluation, and perhaps an MRI of my foot.

They think that it's a stress fracture, where the focus is the 3rd and 4th metatarsal, as well as possible impingement of the ankle. You can't see a stress fracture on an x-ray, but that's what they're thinking.

So I present to you...Ginormica. (what I've fondly dubbed my boot)



Excuse the quality, taken with my web cam.
Yet I've had an amazing weekend. Apple Orchard, Hay ride and bonfire with some of my my favorite people in the world, church kick-off and my grandparent's house. It's all been pretty good. But I would appreciate some prayer--my foot/ankle can hurt pretty bad.

Thanks sweet friends!

Aspire Photo Challenge - Joy

<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>The previous photo challenge was a blast! The winner of the Black & White Photo Challenge will be posted on Sunday; in the meantime, head over here to check out the finalists and vote for your favorite!

This week's photo challenge is Joy

Maybe it's someone laughing. Or maybe you've got a photo of a person who's sitting quietly, yet their whole face is joyful. Maybe it's a birthday party, or maybe it's Christmas. It might even be a Senior shoot or a sleepover. Whatever the case may be, share it with us!

If you haven't played along before, choose a photo that you've taken that best represents the category for this week to you. Then make sure to grab a button to include in your post! And remember to bloghop around a bit; a photo challenge is more fun if there's an active group of photogs partaking in it. You've got till Saturday to link up, so have at it!

Can't wait to see your photos! This should be one joyful week!

Black & White Portrait Challenge Finalists!

Let me just say that I had so much trouble narrowing this down to five entries. There were several photos that stood out to me right away, and I finally chose the five that best embodied the theme. So, without further ado, here are the finalists!

By BE. Woah. This is one powerful black and white image. And what a pretty eye.

By Carolyn. What a darling little girl! Her expression is so sweet, and the bokeh is just lovely.


By Jessica Noel. I kept coming back to this photo. I love everything about it; the composition, the depth-of-field, and her little expression.


By Theresa W.. I love this photo. Her freckles and grin are just adorable.


By Kristen. What a cheeky little expression! And what big eyes! So sweet.

So which is your favorite? Head over to the poll on the sidebar and vote! You can vote for your fave up until Sunday! And stay tuned for a new photo challenge coming Saturday. I'll give you a sneak peek.



Until then, chums!
Hannah