instagrammed.

instagram has really changed things for me.
i love creating this collage of our daily life.
that's really what it is, little snippets here and there, just things that catch my eye and i think "oh, i should take a picture of that!"
so i do.

plus, i have the chance to see what my friends are up to and see their lives through their camera lenses, through what has caught their eye.

pretty neat stuff, this instagram business.

here are some snippets from the past week or two.
ben boy's long leggies,

our weekly csa (community supported agriculture) share,

 

fabric at wally world,

feeling God's presence in church parking lot.
reminded that He is everywhere and in everything,

tennis camp fun for the older kids,



take your child to work day with my little love,


 

girls lunch out (a special treat for us both!),

 
diet coke floats to make the bad days all better,

 
i think what ben's saying is, "i want a diet coke float!"
tell me how you really feel ben boy,

 
finding art projects everywhere.
anna is so busy these days,


  

finding my boy reading in bed even though he "hates" to read, (his room is almost done! yay!)
 
a big bowl of fresh strawberries that are devoured seconds later,



a cornfield on the way to work that stopped me in my tracks,




and finally, an early birthday present for myself.
ok, it's from the kids but we all know who picked it out!

 

guess what i'm trying to say is...i like instagram.
that's about it.
:)

downloaded.

i finally got around to looking at all the pictures i took the past few months.
i have a bad habit of taking pics and letting them sit on the memory card or in a folder on my computer, but it's so fun to go back and see what we've been up to.

in january, we took a long weekend trip to the beach.
it was 70 degrees and lovely.
this was our view from the back deck.
HEAVENLY.

if you are interested in renting the house we always stay in, check out this link here.
our close friend owns it and we love it there!
definitely feels like home.

this turquoise polka dot mug is my favorite.
i reach for it each and every saturday morning.

one morning, ben woke up super early.
john got up and checked on him, and ended up crawling in bed with him.
later on, i got up and took ben downstairs with me.
john stayed tucked in ben's bed for hours.

these next two pictures show the power of zooming and cropping.
anna's art hanging in the alcove upstairs...

and what that area really looks like every day.
full of artistic mess.
piles of supplies everywhere.
she is great at creating.
not so great at cleaning.

apparently i like to take pictures of our bookshelves.
there were about 20 photos of different stacks of books on my memory card.

oh this boy.
and his love of angry birds.
it runs deep.

this is my neighbor's crab apple tree (i think that's what kind it is).
it is blooming and it is GORGEOUS.
makes me want to paint things pink and wearing bright pink nail polish.
soooo pretty and feminine.
this tree is definitely a girl tree.
yep.

ben has moved on from elmo.
he now loves mickey mouse.
jumping and dancing with mickey is part of our afternoon routine.

and my latest project, adding some stripey fabric to our playroom curtains.
love.
i think i may be going through a mint green and pink phase.
it's not going to be pretty.
but it will definitely be preppy.

and that concludes our photo tour.
you are officially caught up with the family von jupin.
give yourself a pat on the back.

28.

i took this picture a couple of weeks ago with my iphone while in the drive-thru line at a mexican joint.
when i uploaded the pic, i was so impressed with how sunny and beautiful it looked.
it's so sad that all the leaves have since fallen and blown away.
winter is already here, and with it the cold and damp and darkness.
we have got to get some christmas decorations up around here or i may go mad from the darkness!!

28. today i'm grateful for leftovers and an early bedtime.

snap shop winner!

who inspires you?
that's the question i asked you to answer to enter ashley's snap shop giveaway.
i LOVED your answers.
the next time i'm having a bad day, i am going to reread them all!
so thank you for playing along.

the winner of the snap shop giveaway is

congratulations!
jen g., please send me your email address so i can get you in touch with ashley.
have fun with the class.
i know you'll love it!

and a BIG thank you to ashley for...everything. :)

snap shop giveaway.

THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! THANKS FOR ENTERING! 

***************************************************

a few weeks ago i wrote about an online photography class that i was taking by the very talented and lovely ashley ann.

i have enjoyed every second.
i've had a dslr for a couple of years now but i really have not been utilizing it to it's full potential.
i love taking pictures and cross my fingers every time i press the shutter--because i am relying on my camera to automatically capture what i want.
even thinking about shooting in manual mode scares me to death.

photography intimidates me. ashley does not.

she is smart and knows her stuff.
but she is able to break down photography for the non-photographer, the beginner, the intimidated.
all you need is a dslr camera and an open mind.
ashley takes care of the rest.
her online class is BRILLIANT!! brilliant, i tell you!!
i can attest to that 100%.

luckily for you, ashley is giving one of you a spot in the september online snapshot class!

this prize is worth $200--a total steal by the way.
to read the details, click on over to the snapshots page here.

ok, now to enter.
please leave me a comment telling me about someone in your life who inspires you.
that's it.
easy peasy.

to earn an extra entry, donate any dollar amount to our davis boy, via the chipin button right over there under my picture, and i will throw your name in the hat for every dollar donated!
(no need to leave another comment.
chipin will let me know that you've donated and how much $.)

it's a win-win situation, don't ya think?
:)

next wednesday, august 24th, i will pick a winner from the comments.

GOOD LUCK, FRIENDS!
and thank you ashley!

online snapshops class.

i have been following ashley ann's photography blog for years.
and when i went to kansas back in january, i had the unique opportunity to meet the real deal, the actual person.

(i stole this pic of ashley and her friend cindy from meg's blog. thanks meg!)

and she was just as sweet and kind and cordial and funny and nice and REAL in person as she is on her blog.
she once was a bustling photographer who has settled into a full-time position as a busy mom of four, her happiest job to date.

ashley has this way of breaking down photography in ways that make sense to me and i read her blog every single day, hoping to glean little tidbits here and there.

she has been hinting at an online class...and it went live yesterday!
i was stunned to see that it is only $150.
i've done my research--other photogs are charge three and four times as much!
all the courseware is available to you as soon as you sign up and you work at your own pace.
perfect for busy moms like me!
i can't wait to get started.

hop on over and sign up now!
hurry before it fills up!!!

brave girl.

i've been trying to be brave lately--with my camera.
i turned that little button on the top to manual and have been playing around.











there is so much to learn.
my mind does not think camera settings yet.
it is not natural at all.
but someday.
i am hopeful.
because photography is just plain cool.