got freckles?

crazy week

2012-01-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

Last week was a crazy week. Midterm exams practically took over my life the entire week and I could honestly not be anymore relieved that they are over. It feels really, really good to be done with them, so I can carry on with my normal schedule.

This little guy was my exam companion. My brother was dog-sitting for our friends and we got to keep sweet Sammie for the week. He sat with me through my tests and there might have even been a few times during my math test where I handed him the pencil and attempted to let him finish.

{A failed attempt at capturing our reflections in his glasses}

My brother turned 12 on the eighth. I can't even believe he's so close to becoming a teenager. It's crazy. I love this boy so much, though. We share so, so many laughs together and he's hilarious. Behind the goofy faces, he's one of the most generous people I know. Plus, he even posed for a few photos for a mini birthday shoot. He's my favorite 12 year old.

We went out for dinner on his birthday, which was a memorable experience, and on the way home, it was raining. I got stuck in the backseat and snapped these photos of the raindrops on the windows while we drove. I had no idea what they looked like until I uploaded them and was seriously surprised to see how interesting they turned out.

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So here I am. Alive and ready to continue on with normal life, after a crazy, crazy week.

how was your week?

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400 {Giveaway Winners!}

2012-01-21T16:43:00.002-05:00

The giveaways are over! Thank you all for entering!

Time to announce the winners!

{Day 1} The winner of the 8x10 print of their choice from Creative Wild Child is.....#29 - Anna Katherine!

{Day 2} The winner of the feather in a bottle necklace from Elegant Accessories is.....#19 - Hope!

{Day 3} The winner of 2, 8x10 prints of their choice from Red Letter Ink Designs is....#11 - Sarah Elizabeth!

{Day 4} The winner of the lace headband from Sugar Plum Boutique is....#8 - Bree Holloway!

{Day 5} The winner of any camera strap of their choice from !Mo is....#64 - Josie!

Congratulations to the winners! If you won, please send me an email at laneymac2{at}gmail{dot}com so I can have your prize sent! If I don't hear back from any of the winners within the next few weeks, I'll pick a new one and notify the new winner.

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400! {Day 5} CLOSED

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's the last day of the Celebrating 400 Giveaway! Today's giveaway is from !Mo! Thank you !Mo!

!Mo sells amazing camera straps. They are some of the cutest camera straps ever! I love them. They have a really wide variety of colors, patterns, and styles to fit every personality. Whether you're looking for a simple camera strap or a fun, bright one, they have everything! !Mo straps are designed to be extra comfortable around your neck, so they not only look adorable, but feel great, too. They have straps with different measurements as well. Some suit smaller cameras better while others sturdy enough for DSLR cameras, which is awesome! I really love how unique the strap designs are. These straps would be perfect for any photographer!
Here are a few of my favorites:

I love the fringe on the bohemian straps.

Little pink and navy hearts - so cute!

This white braid strap is simple, but so pretty!

I love this one! So bright and fun.

Another one that is super cute and simple!

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The prize: !Mo is offering the winner a camera strap of their choice! How awesome is that?

Mandatory entry: Go check out !Mo's site and leave a comment here with your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Heart !Mo on Etsy +1

Like !Mo on Facebook +1

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway +1 for each

Follow Got Freckles +1

All giveaways will be open till next Friday, the 20th, at midnight and winners will be announced shortly after.

Good luck! Thank you all for participating!

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400! {Day 4} CLOSED

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's Day 4! Today's giveaway is from Kimberly at Sugar Plum Boutique. Thank you so much Kimberly!

Kimberly was really sweet to work with and her shop is filled with tons of adorable items! She sells a wide variety of handmade accessories, including shoe clips, scarves, mittens, headbands, brooches, rings, bracelets, memo boards, bouquets, and garlands! How great is that? Everything in her shop is super cute and she has something for girls of all ages, even the smallest of babies! Her headbands come in size x-small for preemies all the way up to adult sizes. They would make perfect gifts for any girl...Or for yourself! She has such an amazing selection of accessories, so it was really hard to narrow down my favorites, but here are a few that I really love:

I love this antique lace bow garland! So pretty.

Her ruffle rings are adorable! The gray one is my favorite.

How cute is this headband? The colors and the lace are perfect!

All of the felt bow headbands are so cute.

I love her infinity circle scarves.

And those were just a few of the many fabulous items she has in her shop! Go stop by and take a look around her shop - it's definitely worth checking out!

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The prize: Kimberly is offering the winner this gorgeous vintage lace ruffle headband. Isn't it pretty? Kimberly describes it as, "Soft, beautiful, and undeniably feminine, it will add romance to any outfit." I love it.

Mandatory entry: Go check out Sugar Plum Boutique on Etsy and leave a comment here with your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Heart Sugar Plum Boutique on Etsy +1

Like Sugar Plum Boutique on Facebook +1

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway +1 for each

Follow Got Freckles +1

All giveaways will be open till next Friday, the 20th, at midnight and winners will be announced shortly after.

Good luck!

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400! {Day 3} CLOSED

2012-01-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

Today's giveaway is from Aimee of Red Letter Ink Designs! Thank you so much Aimee!

Aimee is super sweet and she sells amazing Scripture-based prints in her shop. She has such a wide variety of cute prints, including prints for boys, girls, nurseries, families, adoption, as well as notecards. They would be perfect for your own wall or gifts, as she has something for every room and the colors are customizable as well. They are all so creative with coordinating Bible verses. So not only are they adorable wall decor, but great reminders to have. Aimee is great and I love, love, love her artwork! Definitely worth checking out!

Here are a few of my favorites:

I love her hymn prints.

Another hymn print - so pretty.

How great would this be to have on your wall? So true and powerful.

Love this one. The image and the verse are perfect.

Wouldn't this be gorgeous in a girl's room? Love.

She has so, so many more great prints in her shop. I love that they all include Scripture!

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The prize: Aimee is offering the winner not 1 but 2 8x10 prints of their choice!

Mandatory entry: Go check out Red Letter Ink Designs on Etsy and leave a comment here with your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Heart Red Letter Ink Designs on Etsy +1

Like Red Letter Ink Designs on Facebook +1

Follow Red Letter Ink Designs on Twitter +1

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway +1 for each

Follow Got Freckles? +1

All giveaways will be open till next Friday, the 20th, at midnight and winners will be announced shortly after.

Good luck!

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400! {Day 2} CLOSED

2012-01-11T07:36:00.000-05:00

Today's giveaway is from the lovely Janelle! She has an incredible photography blog, J.P Photography, as well as her Etsy shop, Elegant Accessories. Thank you so much Janelle!

Janelle's shop is filled with a variety of amazing accessories, including headbands, necklaces, earrings, rings, hair clips/pins and gloves. Each item is handmade with a lot of love and a touch of vintage. For her headbands, she transforms up cycled fabric and vintage buttons into beautiful accessories! Her items are not only gorgeous, but also very affordable. Nothing in her shop is over $25 dollars! She has a great variety of accessories and she even sells headbands for babies and children. They would make perfect gifts, too!

I am honestly in love with so many things in her shop, so it was hard, but I did pick a few favorites.

I love this recycled key ring. So unique!

How pretty is this? I love the little lace bow and the vintage fabric.

Love this boho feather necklace!

This is one of my favorite headbands. The colors are amazing and I love the felt flowers.

Her single earrings {feather and ribbon} are so fun and creative.

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The prize: Janelle is offering one of you her Capturing Beauty in a Bottle Necklace. It's so dainty and whimsical and would be such a perfect touch to any outfit. Janelle describes this necklace as, "Natural. Boho. Woodlandish. Unique. This stunning bottle necklace captures the beauty of a guinea feather within a bottle. " Love!

Mandatory entry: Go check out Elegant Accessories on Etsy and leave a comment here with your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Heart Elegant Accessories on Etsy +1

Follow Janelle's blog, J.P Photography +1

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway +1 for each

Follow Got Freckles? +1

All giveaways will be open till next Friday, the 20th, at midnight and winners will be announced shortly after.

Good luck!

xoxo,

delaney

Celebrating 400! {Day 1} CLOSED

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

The first giveaway is from Jennifer of Creative Wild Child. Thank you so much Jennifer!

She sells super cute, original prints in her shop. Every single print in her shop is unique and absolutely adorable. I love the simplicity and message of each one. She has such a wide selection of prints, perfect for any room and any age. They would make really great gifts! She also does custom name prints that are so darling. The colors of all her prints can be adjusted to match your decor and they come in a variety of sizes as well. How awesome is that?

I tried to pick one favorite, but I love so many of them, so here are a few of my personal favorites.

I love how simple this one is. A great reminder to have on your wall!

This one is so fun, but another great reminder for anyone who walks by.

I just love this.

Perfect for a tea lover like me. :)

Another tea print - love.

And those are just a couple of my favorites! She is genuinely talented and her prints are definitely worth checking out.

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The prize: She's offering one of you an 8x10 print of your choice from her shop!

Mandatory entry: Go check out Creative Wild Child on Etsy and leave a comment here with your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Heart C reative Wild Child on Etsy +1
Like Creative Wild Child on Facebook +1
Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway +1 for each
Follow Got Freckles? +1

All giveaways will be open till next Friday, the 20th, at midnight and winners will be announced shortly after.
Good luck!
xoxo,
delaney

Celebrating 400! {5 days of giveaways}

2012-01-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I hit 400 followers. When I logged on to see 400, I couldn't even believe it. I never in a million years thought that 400 people would read my blog.

I've realized recently that numbers are just, well, numbers. They don't define my blog and they're not the reason I blog. It's easy to get caught up in being discontent with where you are, especially in blogging. {go check out Grace's post if you haven't already.} But when I found myself consumed in the numbers, I knew it was time to re-evaulate. I blog to express myself, to capture my life and my thoughts. I want this blog to be a place where I am real, not caught up in striving for more. Most of all, I want this blog to be glorifying to God because He has blessed me through it in ways I never would have imagined.

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So while numbers don't matter one bit, I really wanted to put something special together to celebrate the blessing of all of you! You guys are the best. I'm so grateful for the encouraging comments you leave - you honestly make my day. To celebrate all 400, I have a few giveaways lined up from some really amazing people. I'm so excited and so thankful.

They start tomorrow, so stay tuned!

love you all!

xoxo,

delaney

in the kitchen

2012-01-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

I love being in the kitchen. Whether I'm baking or cooking, trying new recipes or making old favorites, I just love the experience of creating something in the kitchen from start to finish. There's just something about mixing and measuring and chopping and slicing that makes me happy.

Today, despite the craziness and stress of studying for upcoming midterms, or maybe due to the craziness and stress, I found myself with the urge to be in the kitchen. It was perfect to slip away from my desk for a few minutes to sift and stir instead of study.
Cranberry Honey Oat Bread
{recipe via}
2 1/2 cups flour {I used freshly milled whole wheat}
1 tsp. baking powder
1tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk {I substituted almond milk}
2 cups fresh cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two regular loaf pans {or one 9x12 loaf pan}. Stir all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients. Add in flour mixture and stir in cranberries. Pour into pans and bake for 40 minutes. Once cooled slightly, take out camera and pretend to be a food photographer.

It turned out super yummy. The honey added the perfect touch of sweetness to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.
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do you enjoy cooking and/or baking?
xoxo,
dealaney

a new year.

2011-12-31T22:36:00.002-05:00

This sounds so cliche, but I seriously can't believe we're just hours away from saying farewell to 2011 and hello to 2012. It's been an amazing year and I'm excited for another. As another year begins, it's really neat to reflect on all that has happened in those twelve months. Looking back through my old posts makes me love blogging even more. I've made many mistakes this year, but I've also been so blessed and grown so much.

A few highlights of 2011: It snowed 6 inches. I ended up in the hospital after experiencing intense side pains to find that I had multiple kidney stones. I started to become more interested in photography. I performed at my last recital before stepping back from dance. I published my 400th post. I survived another year of finals. I discovered my love for cooking and healthy food. I turned fourteen. I bought my first DSLR camera; a Canon EOS t3i. It was a really good year.

All these moments, now memories, from 2011 have shaped who I am. This past year I've really grown so much. {vertically and spiritually.} Even though I'm still figuring out so much, I've discovered many things about myself and my interests and I pray that I will only continue to grow into the person God has created me to be this next year.

With each year comes new growth, experiences, mistakes, decisions, lessons, and unknowns. It's a little scary, to start a new year and plunge into these unknowns and seasons of growth, but it's exciting. As I look back on all that has happened in 2011, I can't wait to see what God has in store for this next year. I don't know what lies ahead, but He does and I'm trusting Him. These next few years of my life hold lots of important decisions and transitions and all I can do is trust.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with another year.

Happy 2012, everyone!

xoxo,

delaney

p.s I'm ringing in the new year with a personal challenge to help me grow in my photography. Go check out my new Project 365 blog!

a very merry birthday.

2011-12-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, December 22nd, was my sister's birthday.

We surprised her with not just 17 balloons, but a sea of lots and lots of colorful balloons flooding the hallways for her to wake up to.

For her birthday breakfast, my brother treated to Subway. It sounds a little unusal, I know, but it's an inside joke between the three of us siblings and it was a really great start to the day. We also spent the morning jamming to the This is Justin Bieber holiday special on TV. I love my sister and the ridiculous memories we make together.

In the afternoon, we picked up her friend and spent the rainy day shopping, laughing, and enjoying yummy drinks at the bookstore.

The remainder of the evening was spent opening presents...

And playing around with new birthday gifts. She was excited. :)

The final end to the day was eating mint chocolate chip ice cream {her favorite} and coconut cream pie. It was yummy.

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It was so fun to celebrate such a special person in my life. I love my sister more than anything and honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her. She's more than just my sister, she's my best friend.

As cheesy as it sounds, it's the honest truth. No one understands me like my sister does.

Even though we look nothing alike, we have a unique bond that makes us inseparable. She's the one person I can always rely on for anything.

She's crazy beautiful. She's incredibly smart. She's ridiculously photogenic. She has a huge heart. She's super talented. She's the best. I am so blessed to have such an amazing, godly person in my life to look up to. To laugh with. To talk to.We have so many memories together and I am just so thankful for her. God has great plans in store for her and I can't wait to see them unfold in the next few years.

I love you so, so, SO much Maddie. {even more than you love biggest loser.)

Happy birthday to my favorite 17 year old.

xoxo,

delaney

a different kind of Monday...

2011-12-16T18:26:00.003-05:00

Today is a different kind of Monday. It's 10 am sharp and I'm still in bed. To be honest, I plan on staying in this warm, fluffy blanket for as long as I can. Normally, I'm not the kind of person who likes sleeping in. But it was a long week of school {I've noticed teachers like to cram in as much as they can before break.} and I have few plans on my schedule today to worry about. It's a rare occurrence, but I'm really enjoying just lying here, typing away while listening to pretty music. Christmas break, I love you.

I don't have too many plans for Christmas break, but that makes me excited. I'm ready for a solid two weeks to just relax, catch up, and celebrate the birth of my Savior. It's going to be good. Really good.

The weather has been a bit confused as to what season it really is here, but I'm happy that the mornings and nights have finally cooled down and dropped into the 30's and 40's. There's just something about curling up by the Christmas tree at night watching holiday movies wrapped in blankets and warm pajamas.

It's 10:20 now and I'm still lying here, listening to music and thinking about Christmas. But I'm also thinking about a cup of my favorite holiday peppermint candy cane tea. We'll see if a warm cup of yummy tea and some breakfast is enough to drag me out of bed. I think it just might be.

Have an extraordinarily happy Monday. I know I will.

xoxo,

delaney

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here...

And it makes me so happy.

what's your favorite part about Christmas?

xoxo, delaney

p.s my old camera is still up for grabs if you're interested!

happy birthday to you

2011-12-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

I love birthdays. Not only my own, but other peoples' especially. The month of December holds two birthdays for our family, my dad's and my sister's, with my brother's right around the corner in January. There's just something about doing things for others to celebrate what their life means to you on a day dedicated to them that makes birthdays so great. Special days reserved for special people.

My dad's birthday was last week and while his work filled up most of the day, we were sure to shower

him with fun surprises throughout the day, starting with balloons in his office in the morning and ending with a homemade dinner, dessert, and gift cards for daddy-daughter dates.

For dinner, we made him steak {a rare occurrence in our house}, potatoes, bread, and for dessert, I made him his favorite cookies, Samoas, with ice cream, instead of cake. The cookies were absolutely delicious. {You can find the recipe here.} After dinner and dessert, he opened his presents and we finished the night with a fun game of Scrabble.

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what's your favorite part about birthdays?

have a great Monday!

xoxo, delaney

thanksgiving

2011-11-28T09:48:00.001-05:00

Happy late Thanksgiving! Hope your day was filled with lots of yummy food and even more fun and family! My thanksgiving was great and I was definitely thankful to have a week off from school. I spent mine at my grandma's house with my dad's family up north {hi gram!}.

It was a loooong car ride to my grandma's house. 14ish hours both ways, equalling nearly 30 hours in the car combined. I am beyond grateful for modern technology and pillows. I literally slept, ate, talked, and listened to music the entire time. Both ways. It's funny because I had actually packed a bunch of things to do - like magazines, pens, paper, books, etc. and I ended up using none of them.

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed to a little village in the area with little shops and things to spend the day. It's the only time I took pictures the entire trip {oops.}, but it was really the first time I've used my camera outside the perimeters of my house and in lots of different lighting, so it was an exciting day for me to play around with my camera and figure out how to use the different settings. I'm seriously in love with it.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm so beyond excited for the Christmas season. I've already downloaded all my Christmas music, the lights have been strung, and the ornaments are displayed on the tree, bringing back memories of past Christmas's every time I walk by. I can't wait to see the lights out the car window and start making yummy holiday treats. The Christmas season is my favorite - everything is just so magical and memorable.

Yes. Yes it is.

And now, I'm off to school again. Although I'm not super excited to get back to the homework, the fact that Christmas is coming soon and I can do my math while sipping gingerbread tea makes it all a little better.

have a beautiful day, friends!

xoxo, delaney

b&w tuesday

2011-11-15T14:15:00.001-05:00

Today just seems like a black and white kind of day. I'm sitting at my desk, school books scattered everywhere, a cup of hot candy cane tea in front of me, and a damp, dark atmosphere outside my window. I'm counting down the days until Thanksgiving break. {just 3 left.} These past few days have been crazy, cramming for last minute tests and projects before break, but even in the busyness, I'm feeling inspired. Maybe it's the holidays. Or my new camera. Or just the fact that I've re-focused my photography perspective.

I know how hard it is to feel inspired when life is such a routine. Wake up. Get ready. Do school. Do homework. Babysit. Go to bed. Repeat for the next 4 days. It's so easy to look at life like this and focus so much on the big picture that all of the little details don't seem important.

My new camera has inspired me to capture more of the everyday. I've come to the realization that, while my life seems to be the same everyday, it's the little things that make it sweet. It's the little things that make life my life. It's the little things that make your life your life.

This is why I love photography. This is why I blog. It's my way to capture and record every moment. Whether it's a big memory, or one that will be forgotten by the next day, I want to capture them all. I want to capture my life right now. Whatever my life is at the moment is what I am going to share. I don't ever want to feel like the subjects of my pictures aren't good enough or aren't worth sharing - because they are.

The funny moments. The messy moments. The crazy moments. The sweet moments. This is what makes blogging and photography real, personal, and beautiful.

Be inspired by life. Your life.

snapshots

2011-11-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

I'm still figuring out how to use my new camera, but I'm already in love with it. Currently, the two lenses I'm using are the 55mm and the 18-135mm. I'm so happy and amazed with my camera and I can't wait to see my photography improve as I learn how to figure it out. Here are a few of the shots I took over the past weekend. Be warned, most of them are just completely random, as I was really just excited to snap anything with my new camera. Super huge thanks to my sister who has helped me tons and saved me lots of manual reading. Love you, Mads!

{love love love my photojojo camera strap!}

thank you for your super sweet comments! I love you all! if any of you have any tips for using my camera, I'd love to hear them!

xoxo,

delaney

I'm a Canon girl. {and freaking out.}

2011-11-11T14:04:00.001-05:00

It's 11/11/11. A magical day on its own. And even more special because....

something came in the mail today.

can you guess?

It may be my new Canon EOS Rebel T3i Camera that I've been saving for since....well, since forever, it seems like.

I'm so excited and so happy. Ahhhhhhh, I love it. I did a little happy dance when I heard the doorbell ring and saw the giant cardboard box sitting on my front porch. {I had free 2 day shipping for it, but still wasn't expecting it today.}

Currently, the battery is charing and I'm about to go ~~flip though~~ read all 300 pages of the manual.

Just thought I'd share my excitement with you all, especially since you've read my anticipation and process of saving for it.

I am just SO ridiculously happy and can't wait to start using it.

I love you all and be expecting lots and lots of pictures soon!

xoxo,

delaney

camera for sale!

2011-11-07T12:31:00.000-05:00

Olympus SP-800UZ Point and Shoot

14 megapixels, 30x optical zoom, pop up flash, 3 inch LCD screen, 720px HD video. (More info)

Comes with battery, charger and cord, neck strap, lens cap and cord, and case. Manual available online.

Less than 2 years old, in perfect condition.

Selling new for $300 - 350

My price: $200

Please contact laneymac2@gmail.com if you're interested or have any questions.

on life and growing up

2011-11-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

It's already November. November 3rd. I say this every month, but time is flying by. It's crazy. Things are changing. Days are becoming memories. Upcoming events that once seemed so far away have already arrived. Life is rushed and the season of busyness hasn't even begun yet. People are growing up right before my eyes. Including me.

There's only 52 days until Christmas. (I couldn't help but start my countdown.) Just 52. It honestly seems like I was just uploading pictures from the cruise last December onto my blog. School is crazier than ever and I hardly ever have a free evening or weekend. I'm already in high school and 1/4 of the way through the school year. This time next year I'll be driving.

I found a picture of myself from November 22nd, 2009. I still looked like me, but it showed me how much I've changed in such a short amount of time. I was reading my old blog posts yesterday, too. It was funny to look back and see what a difference 3 short years makes. I was obsessed with bright colors, had a new, matching premade template on my blog every two weeks, posted blog awards and giveaway links for what seems like nearly every post, snapped only the occasional picture with my pink point and shoot.....Looking back, my posts seem pointless, but they expressed me at the time.

My style has changed, my interests and hobbies have changed....I'm growing up. But it's funny. I've changed so much in the past few years, yet I'm still the same person. I've grown up so much, but I know there's still so much more ahead of me.

I don't know what exactly it is that's ahead of me, but that's okay. That's part of growing up anyways, right? I'm excited. I'm excited to see what God has in store for me. I know He's got great plans for me and I can't wait to continue to see them unfold. He's already worked in so many ways these past few years and as I continue to grow in other aspects of my life, I want to grow even more in Him. I know it's not always going to be easy, but I'm confident in His plans.

As time keeps ticking at full speed and I keep growing with it, I'm realizing how important it is to stop and reflect on life and just pray. I'm uncertain of so many things that are coming up in the future, but He's got it all figured out and that I can live with excitement instead of fear for whatever lies ahead. During this month of gratefulness I'm beyond thankful for God's working in my life.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever."

2 Peter 3:18

have a great thursday, y'all. He's got great plans for you, too.

xoxo,

delaney

itty bitty apple pies

2011-11-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

October 31st. Otherwise known as Halloween. I've always had fun dressing up in my mom's creative, homemade costumes {my favorite costumes were a can of soda, made by my mom, and a "glittery ghost", made by me}, snacking on baked pumpkin seeds, and walking door to door, filling up a small bucket full of sweet treats with my siblings. Halloween for me has never been about the witches and goblins or the scary aspect, but really just dressing up, having fun, and enjoying the evening with my family. One of the memories I have about trick or treating was coming home, emptying out my bucket with my siblings, and trading candy, despite the fact that it would later get dumped into one bowl that my mom had to give us permission to take from.
As I've gotten older, I'm now the one sitting with the bowl of candy, passing it out to sweet kids, which, in my neighborhood is more like 17 year olds dressed as "themselves." Kids started knocking on the door early, so my brother sat on the porch and took on the job of passing out candy. Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen, whipping up a treat that was lots better than candy.

My mom had mentioned after dinner that apple pie sounded really yummy. And thus began the start of my evening. I quickly hopped onto my computer and searched for apple pie recipes and remembered something I had seen on Pinterest. Mini apple pies. I found a recipe and instantly got to work.

The recipe is actually fairly simple - mix up the ingredients for the crust, wrap it and stick it in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients, peel and dice the apples, mix the filling, and prepare them into little apple pies. The only adjustments I made to the recipe were the ingredients - instead of using white flour, I used whole wheat flour, instead of white sugar, I used sucanat, which is why my pies look a little darker. I was a little worried that adapting the recipe to make it clean would change the taste, but it didn't at all.

mixing, chopping, and more mixing...

For the crust, I followed the steps for making the dough, but when it was time to actually shape them, I didn't measure or get too precise. I simply took small chunks and just pressed them into the muffin tin. It sped the process up and worked just as well.

After 30 minutes in the oven...

The sweet, cinnamon filling was hot and bubbly, slowly oozing out of the pies and the entire house smelled delicious. Nothing beats warm, fresh baked, homemade pie, except adorable, miniature pies.

I joined my family on the porch to eat mini pies and pass out candy for the rest of the evening.

And that, my friends, was my Halloween. How did you spend yours?

xoxo, delaney

miscellany monday

2011-10-31T10:53:00.001-04:00

Good morning, friends! Happy miscellany monday!

1. The weather here is finally getting cold! I've packed up my shorts and replaced my closet with jeans, boots, sweaters, scarves, and fleece pj's. Ah, cold weather makes me so happy.

Ok, so.....60 degrees isn't really that cold. But I promise, the wind makes it feel way colder. I know that the weather forecast here probably looks warm compared to all you northerners with inches of snow, but I'm taking what I can get.

2. Cold weather = hot tea. I love tea. Nothing is better than a hot cup of tea with a spoonfull of sweet, sticky honey stirred in. Thanks to my mom, I think I've found my new favorite tea that will definitely be a staple for me these next few months. At first, I thought it was just going to be an average, strong, minty tea, but I was completely wrong. It tastes sweet and pepperminty, just like a candy cane. It's so delicious and as the description says, it definitely "fills me with warm Christmas spirit" and leaves me "jolly." This is one of the many reasons why I love the colder months. mmmmmm.
4. I'm still saving up for this camera. Honestly, I'm okay with the waiting now. I'd been getting kind of frustrated, not reaching as much as I need as quickly as I would have liked. While I don't particularly enjoy waiting and I'm extremely anxious to reach my goal, I'm realizing that it's often during the times of waiting that we learn the most. It's giving me lessons in patience, money management, and being content, all things I know I'll benefit from. I also know that I am going to appreciate my camera so much more knowing that every single penny was hard earned.

5. Speaking of saving for this camera, I'm considering selling my current camera. I probably wouldn't sell it until I'm a little bit closer to my goal, that way I'll still have a camera while I'm saving for the rest. But if any of you guys would be interested in buying my Olympus SP-800UZ, please shoot me an email and I'll give you the details!

{picture via my sister}

have a fabulous monday and stay extra warm!

weekend at the football field.

2011-10-13T17:41:00.001-04:00

a few photos from my brother's football game this past weekend....

the abc's of me.

2011-09-22T16:34:00.002-04:00

This fun post has been circling the blog world lately and with nothing else to post today, I figured I'd join in, too. enjoy!

A. Age: 14

B. Bed size: Twin. I share a room with my sister and our room isn't enormous, so unless we decide to share a bed {no way.} or get a mega bunkbed, twin will have to do. I like it though because I usually end up dangling half my body off the side anyway.
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathroom. I vacuum our room and leave the bathroom to my sister. It just grosses me out.
D. Dogs: Never had one. But our neighbors have plenty. And while I think they're adorable, the nonstop barking drives me crazy. I think my ideal dog would be really small, silent {because what's worse...a big loud dog or jumpy, yelpy dog?}, potty trained, and cute and fluffy without shedding. I have unrealistic expectations and probably won't be getting a dog anytime soon.
E. Essential start to your day: Praying and a shower. I'm a bit of a freak in terms of showers. I have to take one everyday, unless it's absolutely impossible.
F. Favorite color: Gray, navy blue, turquoise, and light/coral pinks.
G. Gold or Silver: Both. I used to really dislike gold, but it's grown on me.
H. Height: 5'8ish. I think. Somewhere around that. I'm really not sure. Haha.
I. Instruments you play: None. I'm musically challenged.
J. Job title: Full time student and babysitter whenever you need me. :)
K. Kids: I love them. {Obviously} I don't have any. But one day I want to have a bunch.
L. Live: in Georgia.
M. Mother’s name: Lori
N. Nicknames: Lanes, Laney, Laneybird....and my math teacher last year called me Dellymac, which...I'm still not sure I like. So uh, let's not call me that.
O. Overnight hospital stays: None.
P. Pet peeves: Noisy eaters, people who peek over my shoulder when I'm reading/on the computer, people who type in text talk, the fact that my hair sheds like an animal....the list is long, but those are the main ones.

{random picture of me since we're at the halfway point...just my desperate attempt to break up the text. :)}

Q. Quote from a movie: Just going to go with the first one that popped into my head. From Finding Nemo, "I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine. And he shall be my Squishy."
R. Right or left handed: Righty.
S. Siblings: Older sister, Maddie, and younger brother {who thinks he's older than me...} Hayden. Love them to death.
T. Time you wake up: 7:30ish. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later.
U. Underwear: If you would have asked me 8 or 9 years ago, I would have said "occasionally." But I've grown out of my old ways....so YES. I now say yes to underwear.
V. Vegetable you hate: Eggplant. I will literally eat, or at least try, every other vegetable on the planet. But eggplant? No way. I can't stand it. Blech. The texture is so disgusting.
W. What makes you run late: Usually it's either a) Not wanting to get out of bed, b) The fact that I have to take a shower no matter what, or c) Forgetting everything and everything that I need and scrambling around the house like a crazy person
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Foot, teeth, and back/kidneys.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I love baking and cooking and am always in the kitchen whipping up healthy foods, so it's hard to choose....hmm. I'm really not sure...
Z. Zoo animal: For some reason, seeing the word Zoo reminds me of Zoopals. But that's irrelevant. I honestly haven't been to a real Zoo since I was really little....Giraffes or monkeys, probably.

september.

2011-09-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

September has been a busy, busy month. A hot one so far, too. But today, the temperatures have dropped from 85 degrees to 65 and this glimpse of fall is amazing. It won't last, so I know not to get my hopes up. But I am enjoying every second of it because I'm a cliche fall lover. I want cold weather. Boots. Sweaters. Cinnamon. Blankets. Pumpkins. Candles. Muffins. Hot tea. Jeans. Soup. Coziness.

I'm desperately waiting and hoping that the weather will decide to be consistently cold soon.

9th grade is going great. I'm loving all of my classes, and while the homework load is a definitely not light, I know it's worth it. My teachers are fabulous and my ~~fellow classmates~~ friends are the best. I'm taking biology, geometry, history/literature/theology, and latin 1. Math is going surprisingly better than I had expected and I'm really making sure to stay on top of it. All of the other classes I love as much as I thought I would. I am so beyond grateful my school.

I'm still going to art lessons, too, and I just finished the above painting. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, though it looks ten times better in real life than in the picture. Now I just have to figure out a place to hang it....

Hope you guys are enjoying your september, too! I'm going to go make some clean eating blondies for dessert tonight.

have a blessed friday!

the sweetest.

2011-08-30T23:25:00.000-04:00

The other day I walked down to my little corner of the basement to hop onto my computer and I noticed something on my desk. I glanced down to find this:

Five dollars with a note attached explaining that the money is for my camera fund. from a "mysterious" unknown person.

perhaps the sweetest eleven year old brother.

who has the most grateful and unselfish heart ever.

and just completely made my day with his random act of kindness.

and can't spell my name right. {but that's beside the point.}

just a reminder to me that I have the best brother in the entire world and need to be more thankful for the blessing that he is. and also that even the littlest things we do or say can make someone's entire day. thank you "......." for being such a generous person and for inspiring me to do random, sweet things for others daily.

{photo stolen from my wonderful mom and edited by me :)}

let the games begin.

2011-08-29T18:22:00.001-04:00

Though the weather outside hasn't shown any signs of fall coming soon and it's not nearly cool enough for me to pull out my jeans and long sleeved shirts, the start of football season gives me a glimpse and a hope that it will eventually come.

My younger brother {11} started football a few weeks ago and had his first game last week. I'm not going to lie, I sat there on the wooden platform {errr, yeah. we forgot to bring chairs.}and I couldn't help but think of how hot it was outside. It was 100 degrees, humid, and sunny. It was absolutely miserable. But my camera kept me occupied the whole time - trying to capture the faces of the determined, sweaty, tired players. And now, I can't wait to attend more of his games...once the weather cools down a bit. ;)

only 2 pictures for now....but I guarantee you that as the games continue for the next few months, you'll be seeing plenty more football photos.

farmers market.

2011-08-22T15:41:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was amazing. My dad had Friday off, so we got a three day weekend and it was packed with fun activities. This is the last week of my summer class and I start school in two weeks, so though I haven't started yet, summer is quickly coming to an end. And this weekend was the perfect way to enjoy the last days of summer.

On Friday, we were searching for something fun to do as a family and when we found out that the world's largest farmers market was open for the weekend, we all piled in the car to go check it out. We didn't know much about it and we didn't really know what to expect, so it was an exciting surprise when we got there.

There were dozens of outdoor "aisles" with a large assortment of fruits, vegetables, and even a bunch of random items, like pots, pans, fabric, baskets, pinatas, and foreign candy. We drove home with muscadine grapes, two delicious watermelons, and lots of peas from a really sweet Georgia farmer.

Funny story - my mom, sister, and I were snapping pictures of the fruits and veggies, like any normal photographers/bloggers. We made our way up to one stand and my dad started talking to the guy, as we snapped away. Then, the man who was in charge of this particular stand goes, "So, where are you guys from?" My dad explains how far away we live from and the man says something along the lines of, "Oh, ok. I was just wondering since they're all taking pictures." Ha. He thought we were some foreign people who had never seen fruits or vegetables before.
Here's some of the pictures I took while we were there:

do you visit a farmers market often? or ever had any funny blogger/photographer encounters?

stay tuned for pictures of the rest of my weekend! have a fabulous monday!

fourteen.

2011-08-08T21:55:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, somewhere during the early hour of one in the morning, I officially became fourteen. I had an absolutely amazing birthday, thanks to even more amazing family and friends. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, too! Reading your comments always makes my day.

For my birthday, we celebrated the night before. I was also supposed to babysit, but the plans fell through, giving me a little bit more time than expected on my actual birthday. :) On Friday night, my family and I went to a Japanese restaurant with super delicious food. After, we went home so I could open my presents and we ended the night with a movie. We feasted on my little purple cake and lots of ice cream - because, what birthday isn't complete without some kind of sweet treat? The next morning, my mom took my sister and I out shopping and we stopped for some frozen yogurt after. We came home and I had kind of planned on hanging out for the rest of the day, since my parents had a dinner to go to.

One of our super sweet family friends invited my sister and I to go out to dinner with her and her little girls, so we ended up spending the night with them, eating mexican food. :) They gave me a bunch of adorable balloons that each of the girls picked out and oh my word, y'all. The card. I'm not even kidding when I say it was the best card I got. The girls (who are all under the age of 7) picked out a singing Tangled card for me so that when I opened it, they could sing along to it. After I opened my gift, they all took turns flipping the card open and closed to hear it sing. It was the sweetest thing ever.

I did take a few pictures of my great weekend, so I'll share some of them. Thanks again to everyone who made my birthday super special! I love you all. :)

(also, a majority of the pictures are terrible quality. oh well, though. at least I got to capture the memories - good quality or bad quality. haha.)

birthday balloons!

birthday cake!

(photo taken by my mom)
isn't it adorable? thanks for the cake and the picture, mom ;)

(another one I stole from my mom ;))
birthday food! yummmmy.

birthday....breakfast? yeah. I ate an enormous chocolate cupcake for breakfast. hey, when it's your birthday, you can pretty much get away with anything. :) I'm actually kind of surprised I didn't go into a sugar coma after this weekend.

birthday cards! hoops and yoyo are my favorite. they never fail to make me laugh.

birthday presents! I'm SO beyond excited to spend my Photojojo gift card.

birthday outfit! this was my terrible attempt at an outfit picture. I have no idea how you fashion bloggers take such amazing pictures of yourselves.

more birthday presents! A new purity ring was one of my gifts. my old one was way too small, so I was really happy to get a new one.

I also got this thing. Yeah, no big deal.

Oh. It's kind of a big deal isn't it? Shall I explain?

Wait. Why is there a hole in my camera lens?

Haha, okay. I'll stop confusing you guys. It's not my new camera. It looks scarily like one of the slr's I'm saving up for. But it's not. You should have seen my face when I was opening it. I couldn't believe my sister got me a camera. (or lens) Then I realized it was plastic. A plastic piggy bank, modeled to look exactly like a camera. How hilarious is that? My sister picks the perfect gifts for me. Needless to say, all of my saving money for a new camera has been placed in this bank and every time I see it, it reminds me of what I'm saving for. Isn't it scary how real this looks? They literally got every single button on this.

(picture taken by my sister who decided to steal my camera)

birthday shoes! when we went to Target on my birthday, I found a pair of shoes in my size that were actually CUTE and fit me. Woah. That never happens. I was so excited and my sister loved them too, so now we have matching shoes. love you Mads. :)

(picture by my mom. once again.)

birthday family! me and my sibs at dinner. notice how I'm the tallest? ;)

sorry for the picture overload! hope you guys enjoyed! I'm so grateful for everyone who made my birthday so special and I'm so beyond blessed. <3

I'm still alive. I promise.

2011-08-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

Just letting you know that I have not died. {again.} I'm actually redesigning my blog right now. I'll consider it a new look in honor of my birthday. {it's on saturday. eeeep! i can't wait.} Anyways, I'm just making a few changes around here and hopefully I'll have them all worked out by tomorrow. :)

thanks for sticking with me through my lack of posting. you guys are the best!

love in Christ,

delaney

sisterly love.

2011-07-24T15:32:00.001-04:00

I love my sister. A lot. Lately, I've really been grateful for how much time we've been spending with eache other. We're only 2 years apart, so we've always been close. We have shared a room since we were little and have been and will be partners in crime forever. We fight {over clothes, mostly} occasionally, but for the most part, I am beyond blessed to have a sister who has so much in common with me. When she goes away for college in 2 years, I'm not even going to know what to do with myself.

She is honestly, without a doubt, my best friend. We have more inside jokes than I can't even count half of them. We don't even look like we're related. We have this awesome sisterly bond/force where we can basically communicate to each other without talking. She believes with everything in her that I am Shaun White's twin. She makes me wave at the people who stand and hold signs on the road. If she's hungry, she doesn't hesitate to ask me to make her food. She borrows my stuff all the time. But she puts up with me and my brilliant self. {I know it's hard having a sister so cool, isn't it, Maddie?} And I love her for that.

{insert unrelated picture of grass here}

Anways. :) What actually brought up this rare, sappy moment of mine was the little "adventure" we had yesterday. In the morning, we went to workout and then we ran some errands, which may or may not have included a much needed stop for some twizzlers, which is basically what we fuel up on when we're together. Later on, she drove me around and we got dinner {er, sorta} and went to see a movie. Older sisters are the best. Especially when they can drive. I reaaaally love having a sister that can drive. Even though we are taking a class together and are with each other a majority of each day, being with her in the car gives us time alone to spend with each other.

I love bonding with her on our car rides. Belting out to country music when we're alone together, which is a love that she has passed onto me and nobody else in the family seems to understand. We have "our songs" that we especially crank up the volume for. We even love the country station so much that we know what songs are going to play at what time. Well, sorta. We'd like to think we do anyways.

She's a great driver. Even if I do freak out every time I see a cop around her, she really is a good driver. But she gets lost all.the.time. Quite honestly, it's hilarious. It's terribly inconvenient, but when you have nothing better to do on a Saturday night, it makes for amazing memories. And more time to listen to the country station.

We drove around for what seemed like forever, trying to find where we wanted to eat and what we wanted to do. We ended up driving f forty five minutes away from home to find what we wanted, even though we easily could have driven fifteen minutes away. It really didn't make sense, but we're indecisive and we got lost.

Personally, I'd say the ride was worth it because dinner was pretty darn delicious. While we were devouring every last drop of our ridiculously healthy meal, we noticed a ton of people walking up the street. It really didn't make much sense. So I made Maddie drive up the street to see what everyone was doing.

Turned out there was some big soccer game {free, we were guessing, because who would pay money to sit in this brutal heat?} right up the road from Bruster's. My idea to see what was so exciting ended up getting us stuck in a ton of traffic. Ha, whoops. :)

Then we ended our night with a movie. Typical, predictable, yet kinda cute chick flick, Monte Carlo. The movie itself wasn't super great. We would literally lean in and tell each other what we knew was going to happen every couple minutes and then bust out laughing when it happened seconds later. We both agreed afterwards that the best part of the movie was when some random lady in the back of the theater started laughing hysterically {quite deep and loudly, too} at this one scene. At that point, Maddie and I started laughing our guts out. Then, the funny part was over and we were still laughing. I had to hold my breath to prevent me from annoying the whole theater. It didn't really work, but I truly couldn't help my laughing outburst.

Then we stumbled out of the theater in tears of laughter. {yeah, we were still cracking up after the movie ended}We drove home. I fell asleep in the car. And thus ended an amazing night with my best friend in the entire world.

I love you, Maddie.

miscellaneous ramblings on saturday night.

2011-07-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

all credit to this idea goes to carlotta. and all inspiration for this post goes to kiley. {who is the sweetest, most inspiring ;) friend ever. go read her blog.}

This week has been pretty laid back. My week began with a trip home from my cousin's house for the fourth of july. It was an immensely fun weekend filled with lots of sunshine, shopping, delicious food, and time spent together. My cousin and I even got lost in the store and had to be called up to the front over the intercom. So embarrassing, but I was with my cousin, so it ended up being more hilarious than embarrassing. We practically laughed the entire way to the front of the store, our faces totally red in humiliation that we were the girls who just had their names echoed through the building.

This is the stack of books I will be reading the next 8 weeks. My latin class ends next week and my next summer class begins a week after that. The syllabus for my second class was made available this week and I realized I will be doing a ton of reading these next few weeks. We have 6 books to read in 2 weeks, before the class starts. So needless to say, I've been reading a ton the past few days.

Luckily the weather was gorgeous today and I was able to be productive and enjoy the clear, breezy, warm day. it made my reading ten times more enjoyable. and with the faint sound of neighbors cutting their grass in the background, it felt like the perfect summer morning.

I've been working on an inspiration type board for my school room, using a huge piece of poster board, tons of magazine clippings, and some mod podge. To even get me more inspired, I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. {thanks to Kiley!} :) I reaaaallly like it. A lot. So many pretty pictures that I can save in one place.

To contribute to sprucing up my school room, I took some old book/magazine holders and covered them with paper and added newspaper hearts. If I like the end result of my little corner of the school room enough, I may post pictures. we shall see...:)

My collection. My well loved collection. If you couldn't tell, I love nail polish. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. I'm always on the hunt for fun, new colors. I think it's so fun to be able to switch out my nail color whenever I want. And I love how bright and pretty my nails make look after I paint them. just one of those little things that makes me really happy. :)

So my questions to you to end this post:
What books are on your reading list this summer?
&
Do you have a Pinterest?

hope you all had a fabulous saturday! i'm off to go watch a movie with my family.
love in Christ,
delaney

happy summer!

2011-06-21T18:47:00.003-04:00

I know everyone's dashboards are flooding with posts welcoming summer, but I needed something to post about, so....

Actually, I feel kinda weird saying that because it's been in the 90's since late April/May and summer technically summer started when school ends anyways, right?

this past week of summer {or I guess it was still spring since summer really starts today?} I...

I...loved being able to hop in the car on a Friday morning for a two hour drive with a friend and her little ones to visit the college she went to that my sister is now looking into. {which is totally crazy. I'm going to miss her so much when she leaves in a two short years.} It was so amazing to walk around the campus and explore. Even though I have some time, hearing the stories and seeing the buildings it made me really excited.

I....laughed for nearly the entire two hour trip, or rather four hours both ways. I bought my ipod along to listen to some music. Funny story. I had planned on listening to music for most of the way, expecting a long and boring drive, but was far more entertained by the sweet girl next to me. The friend we went with who took us around has two adorable kids, a five or so year old boy and a three year old girl. They are quite possibly the cutest kids ever and they are so sweet. {babysitting them is awesome.} I was in the back seat with the little girl and we entertained each other the entire time. I would do something to make her laugh and she would end up making me crack up because she would to do it, too. {which may or may not have involved squeezing playing with a little babydoll to which she would reply "squishy baby again!"} I don't think I've ever enjoyed a long car ride so much.

I....enjoyed a delicious mocha coconut frappuchino on said car ride and scooped up every last bit of chocolatey whipped cream off the straw.

I....painted my nails fun colors and patterns. Navy polka dots + peachy pink = me admiring my nails like a little girl. I was totally inspired by Kenzie to do this from one of her posts a while back, so all inspiration and credit goes to her and her amazing blog. :)

I....got so happy to upload my pictures and see bokeh in the background. Achieved with the point and shoot I so often doubt. Speaking of these magical little circles, how exactly are you supposed to pronounce the word? My sister and I have debated with each other on how to say bokeh. I have no idea how it's actually supposed to be pronounced. help please?

I....had the itch to take pictures with no exciting subjects or willing models. So I sat on the steps and took pictures of the lamp in the hallway. I then proceeded to completely over edit it. And I'm kind of liking the result...even if it is over edited and random and was taken out of complete boredom.

I...almost ran outside in my pajamas. I was coming downstairs for breakfast and I saw this flower out the window, looking perfect in the sunlight. {perhaps because it's the only flower that hasn't dried out} I waited to get ready before heading outside to take some pictures, hoping a giant cloud wouldn't rapidly move over the gorgeous sun. BUT here's the thing I am still confused about. I literally ate breakfast wondering if that flower had just magically popped up today or if I had just completely missed it? I'm still not sure. I've gone out the front door to get everyday this week to either get the mail or take pictures or just do whatever and I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it a bright pink flower amongst dead pine bark and leaves, right? So has it been here all along and I didn't notice? Or did someone randomly plant it? I'm so confused, y'all. It's not even funny.

Also, I guest posted over at Megan's blog yesterday, so feel free to hop on over there and check it out or read the other fun guest posts she has had while she's away. :)

hope you all have enjoyed the OFFICIAL first day of summer!

- delaney ♥

i'm a bad blogger + summer pictures.

2011-06-16T09:59:00.000-04:00

it's been weeks since my last post. almost a month. I love how I promised I'd be back with more posts and then totally disappear. Sorry about that. ;) I'm back. Hopefully I'll be posting a lot more. No absolute guarantees, but I'm really going to try. I find that I often just totally forget about posting on my blog, especially if I don't have any new ideas, and then before I know it, the weeks have flown by without a post. does that happen to anyone else?
anyways. :) I'm having a great summer so far! I've been doing my latin "transition" class (in which I may or may not be the oldest one...) everyday from 10-1 and it's actually surprisingly better than I thought it would be. I've taken online summer classes before, but never having taken latin before, I was honestly a bit nervous. There isn't too much homework (just tons of vocab) and the class keeps me busy in the mornings, which is actually really nice. So I don't mind it at all. In fact, I'm really enjoying it. :)

my little "summer set up." note that this was taken before one of my first classes. that pack of notecards? yeah, it's almost gone. and we're not even 2 weeks in.

it's been SUPER hot here. (but really, what else do you expect from Georgia?) we've been going to the pool a lot because there's really no other way to be outside unless you have some way to cool off. so far, I haven't gotten sunburned badly. BUT we'll see how that goes the rest of the summer. ;)

netflix saves me when there is nothing on tv. thank you, netflix.

I'm getting closer towards buying a dslr! I've continued saving my money from babysittng and whatnot, and it's slowly adding up! y'all, I am SO excited to buy my camera. my birthday is in about a month and a half, so after that, I'm hoping I'll have enough money saved up after that. it's been hard to be patient and wait, but I know it will be SO worth it. anyone want to try and persuade me into buying a certain camera or brand? ;)

spicy roasted chickpeas are my favorite snack ever. seriously. go look up a recipe and make them. the only downside is that the oven has to be turned up really high, therefore making the house really warm. but they're worth it. especially if you like spicy food :)

alrighty, I'm off to latin. hope you all have a fabulous summer day!

I am alive.

2011-05-27T23:38:00.003-04:00

Yes, my friends. I have successfully made it out alive.

My brain is still in tact. {err, I think.}

ALL of my tests are done.

Summer has officially begun.

And boy, am I excited.

As you may have noticed, I changed my design. {ha, does that surprise you?} I blame it on exam stress overload. Anytime I had a break, I managed to fit in time to work on a new design. I truly realized how much I enjoy designing and how happy it makes me. It really does help me relax and express my creativity. Sure, I probably should have spent that extra time cleaning my room. {let's not talk about the current condition it is in..} But that isn't nearly as fun as downloading new fonts and playing with colors now, is it?

I actually managed to pull my camera out, too. Editing pictures is a fun stress reliever, too. ;) So before I head off to bed {definitely sleeping in tomorrow. suffering from a sever case of late night studying.}, I'll share a few with you all. :)

the week started out super warm and sunny..

with gorgeous blue skies...

but the unexpected thunderstorms hit yesterday....crazy georgia weather.

luckily it's back to its usual sunny self in time for the weekend. ;)

I took some pictures at our church's mother/daughter tea party a few weeks ago. It took me literally forever to upload and edit them all and I'm not even going to lie, I was super frustrated when I realized a majority of them were blurry and bad quality. But the tea party was super sweet and the decorations were gorgeous, so I'm glad I got to capture it. :)

little green and blue candles...

super cute napkins and corsages for the moms and girls.

pretty girls in pretty pearls...

I'm hoping to post much more frequently, so be expecting more from me. :) hope you guys are enjoying the start of your summer!

love in Christ,
delaney

attack of the exams.

2011-05-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

frolic blog party. {linking up}

2011-05-09T10:51:00.001-04:00

hey guys! today I'm linking up with guinevere's blog party! she has some amazing prizes, so head on over and join the fun!

Favorite thing about summer?

Having a break from school and all of the free time and freedom I'll have. While I am taking 2 summer classes (one in June/July and one in July/August) I am really looking forward to a nice, long break from all my classes. I can't wait for mornings where I can wake up a bit early before my class and go on walks with my mom while it's still fairly cool out. I'm excited for afternoons at the pool with family and friends and the smell of sunscreen throughout the house. I'm looking forward to family adventures and my fourteenth birthday and my sister being able to drive us {almost} wherever we want to go. Hopefully I make it through exams alive, though, or I won't be experiencing any of this. I truly can't wait for summer. ♥

In your opinion, the best scent in the entire world?

I don't like heavy scents...if it's light, sweet, and fresh, I'll probably like it. right now it's a tie between the laundry room when the windows are open {a combination of laundry and spring} and sugary, sweet, lemon cupcakes. {summer lemon vanilla from b&bw is my favorite lotion ever.}

This is a bit overdone, but, what's your clothing style?

I don't really know....I was talking to my mom the other day about it and she said that she thinks it's fun to see my style kind of develop t and if she walks into a store, she knows what looks like "me." I don't really know how else to describe it, other than "me." She says I have a bit of "bohemian" in me. ;)

I love comfortable clothes and during the week, I'm usually in sweat shorts and t-shirts with my hair up, especially if the only place I'll be going is dance. But I also love light, pretty dresses, sandals, braids, scarves, jewelry, cute hair accessories, bright nail polish, and flowy tops. I only wear things like that occasionally or when I have to go somewhere. So I'm not really sure what style that would be classified under...but it's me.

Deep question time: vanilla or chocolate?

Oh goodness. I really like both. I'd probably have to go with chocolate. But vanilla is amazing, too. :)

What do you think: is the Twilight fad dying out? And if it is, are you dancing over its grave?

I was never into the whole Twilight thing. ever. So I haven't really "kept up" with it, but I am starting to see it less and less. When it first came out, everything and everybody was talking about Twilight. Walk into a store and BAM, Twilight everything. I'm not seeing or hearing about it too much anymore, so yeah, I definitely think the whole fad has started to die out. I'm not sure if the books/movies are done for good or what, but it doesn't seem like too many people are obsessed with it anymore. I'm pretty glad, too, because the whole fad was ridiculously blown up anyways...it was getting a bit annoying to see it everywhere.

Traveling: where would you want to go?

I'd love to visit England and Greece and I also think Australia would be a really fun place. I wouldn't mind going back to Italy or France again either. :)

What type of music do you like?

Mostly contemporary Christian, especially worship music. But I do like country, too. :)

Canon or Nikon? (If you're not a photographer, don't feel like you have to answer this...)

Right now I have an Olympus and I am saving up for an SLR, so I don't have experience with either. I've been researching both and trying to find which brand would be best. I'm not entirely sure which one I'll end up choosing. :) Since my sister has a Canon, I'm thinking that I might try out Nikon. But we'll see. What do you guys recommend? :)

Flipflops, bare feet, or heels?

Bare feet. And if I absolutely have to wear shoes, flip flops. Flip flops are a lot easier and comfier than heels for me.

Do you like old black and white films?

No. I haven't really seen that many, but I totally prefer my movies in color. :)

Skirts or jeans?

Jeans all the way. Skirts are cute and I wish I wore them more, but jeans are just more practical and comfortable for me.

go on over and join the blog party, too! :)

love in Christ,

delaney ♥

pour out Your Spirit.

2011-05-04T23:34:00.002-04:00

winner of the Aleks Handmade giveaway!

2011-04-21T17:17:00.000-04:00

the winner of the Aleks Handmade giveaway {picked with random.org} is......

............................................................

#11 - hannah m!

congratulations hannah! please send me an email with your address so I can ship these goodies to you!

{you can find my email under the contact tab}

thanks for all who entered! :)

it's spring break.

2011-04-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

this week I am enjoying a full week off from school.....it's SO nice to have no school. even though I do have dance at night, having the mornings and afternoons completely free is awesome.

I'm about to head out the door, so this post won't be very wordy...but I do have some pictures to share :)

so far my spring break has consisted of....

car washing...

more car washing...

trying on new dance costumes...it's always exciting when they arrive :)

spending time outside with my family.

getting my brother to agree to pose for some photos. and then all but a few pictures turning out like the one above. oh well. he's a boy, what else do I expect?

soaking up the sunshine before the thunderstorms start..

spending my free afternoons snapping tons of pictures...

and soaking up more sunshine. sunshine also = long walks outside with mom. yesterday I was feeling ambitious and we ended up walking really far. (my idea...) by the end of the walk, I was seriously SO tired. my legs were practically falling off. and I may or may not have almost fallen in the middle of the road. ha.

also! Mylena is having a fun giveaway on her blog! Go check it out HERE! :) She'd love it if you entered!

hope you guys are having a fabulous week, spring break or not! :)

love,

delaney

400th post { a fabulous giveaway!}

2011-04-14T14:47:00.001-04:00

hey guys! I am so excited for this post!

The other day I logged into my dashboard and realized that this post will be my 400th! How exciting is that?! I can't believe I've had 400 posts...seriously, that's crazy!

To celebrate 400 posts, I have a fun giveaway for you guys that I know you all will love!

The lovely, talented, and super sweet Aleks from Aleks Handmade contacted me and put together a bundle of adorable {and I mean seriously adorable!} summer hair goodies for one lucky reader!! How exciting is that?
Her Etsy shop is filled with tons of flower goodies, including hair accessories, cup cozies, earrings, wreaths, bracelets, and bows!
And you know what's even more exciting? None of the items that she sent are in her shop yet, so the lucky winner will be the first to receive these items!
A huge thanks to Aleks for offering to giveaway these items!

When I opened the package, I fell in love with these darling pieces. Aleks has kindly donated:

{1} striped blue hair pin

{1} yellow gingham hair pin

{1} pink gingham hair pin

{1} pink and yellow gingham hair tie

and {1} trio headband!

the entire prize bundle is pictured above - now, who wants to win these lovely items?

To Enter:
{mandatory entry} Follow Got Freckles and leave a comment telling me what your favorite color combination is!
Extra entries: {please leave a separate comment for each}
Post about this giveaway on your blog
Put my button on your sidebar
Put Alek's button on your sidebar
Link to this giveaway on FB
Follow Aleks Handmade's blog
Favorite Aleks' shop on Etsy

This giveaway will close next Wednesday, April 20th at midnight and one lucky winner will be announced Thursday!

because I don't feel like uploading my pictures....

2011-04-10T19:54:00.002-04:00

{alternative title: weekend favorites.}

{via we heart it}

fishtail braids. with the heat as hot as it's been this weekend {which, by the way y'all, it was 94 today.} I haven't been feeling like wearing my hair down at all....especially since all it does is frizz and poof out in the heat/humidity, so I've been wearing my hair braided in a fishtail a lot lately. it's such an easy way to do your hair, but it still looks put together and more unique than just a regular braid.

♥

{via we heart it}

walking with my mom. this past week was spring break for our area and even though my spring break isn't for another 2 weeks, I didn't have dance this week, which was technically like a half break. I didn't have to go anywhere in the evenings and not being out at dance really late was so nice. I have missed getting the exercise though, so most nights, my mom and I {and occasionally Maddie} have walked a lot just around the neighborhood and up some killer hills, I might add. ;) walking with someone makes it a LOT easier and faster and it's really fun to talk with my mom while getting in a workout.

♥

{image via google images}

my new water bottle. Weird, right? So this weekend I found an enormous water bottle. it basically looks like the ones above {in pink} and it holds a whopping 75 ounces of water. If I just drink water from a cup, I never ever end up drinking as much as you're supposed to, but if I have a water bottle or something, I can easily drink as much as I need to. I think it's this way for most people, but I love that this water bottle literally holds all the water I need to drink. It's my goal to drink at least one a day, so that should be pretty easy if I keep it on my desk. :)

♥

{via we heart it}

hot pink nails.As you guys probably know, I'm a nail polish lover. My nails seriously change colors multiple times per week. This past week I've gone from purple to blue to turquoise and this morning I painted my nails hot pink. I always wore bright pink on my nails when I was younger so after a while, I kinda got tired of it and started wearing other colors, but after painting my nails with it, I think I've got a new favorite color now. the shade I have on now has sparkly reflects and love love love it.

♥

{image via down east basics}

cute modest swimsuits. ha, kind seems like an oxymoron, right? wellllll, it's not. I've always had a hard time finding a good bathing suit in actual stores, so instead of looking around tons of places, I've ordered mine for the past few years. I don't really like one pieces, but the tankinis are usually too short. The past couple weeks, I had been eyeing this adorable suite and when I realized it was slowly running out, I ordered it today to make sure I got it in my size. It wasn't uber cheap, but it's something I always consider earlier on in the year and save up for and in the summer, I practically live in my swimsuit, so for me, it's definitely worth it. I have a pair of board shorts from last year that will match it, so I don't have to buy bottoms, either. if you're looking for some modest swimsuits, definitely check out lime ricki, down east basics, and if you prefer one pieces, target.com has some cute ones. {i've only seen the one pieces online, not in the actual stores.} they're all adorable, yet totally modest and if you throw a pair of shorts on top, you're good to go.

♥

alrighty, I'm off to go spend the rest of my night watching food network. {sunday night cake challenge shows? my faaaaavorite. anyone else?}

hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

love in Christ,

delaney

new design is up!

2011-04-09T21:23:00.002-04:00

sorry for the wacky layout earlier this afternoon. everything should be sorted out now! :)
if you want, go ahead and grab my new button!
also, if you're interested in sponsoring a giveaway anytime in return for sidebar advertising, just contact me under the contact page!

thanks!

it's hot here. like, really hot.

2011-04-09T13:55:00.000-04:00

for those of you experiencing snow storms this week, take a look at this:

would you rather January in April or July in April? I'm not sure, either. But I'm kinda scared for the summer. 87 degrees. that.is.ridiculous.

I should probably get used to this now. I'm in the south, I should expect it. But for some reason, April seems a teeeny bit too early. Hopefully the weather stays in the 70's like promised this week. I'm really not ready for high 80's/90's.

just had to share my awe at the blazing April weather with y'all. :)

all things become new.

2011-04-07T17:29:00.000-04:00

thoughts on photography...

2011-04-06T19:33:00.001-04:00

As you guys can probably tell, I've been getting pretty into photography lately.

I don't have a fancy schmancy SLR camera, but I am super grateful for the one I have. It's kind of an in-between camera: in-between a point and shoot and an SLR. Up until recently, I would get kinda discouraged that my camera doesn't take good indoor pictures or can't take gorgeous portraits and let that stop me from taking pictures.

Although I am saving up for a better camera as I pursue my interest of photography, I'd find myself not taking pictures because I didn't think it was even worth it because my pictures weren't as good or as exciting or as interesting as other people's.

I would get into that mindset of, "I could be a good photographer....if I had a better camera." Or, "If only I lived on a farm with tons of things to photograph or had adorable baby siblings.... my pictures would be a lot more interesting." It's a fact that the type of camera you have does affect the quality of your pictures and the techniques you'll be able to do, which is why I'm saving up for a better camera; to improve my photography. But focusing on that too much takes the whole point of photography and twists it. Photography is supposed to be about capturing something: a moment, a thought, an experience, a memory.....life. And NOT thinking that inspiring or beautiful pictures can only be achieved if you have certain things or moments to capture.

I was getting too caught up in the fact that I didn't have the same things to photograph as everyone else, when in reality, that's the whole point of photography. To be different. To capture different things. Photography is about capturing the most significant moments to the smallest things in life: YOUR life. And since we all have a different life, then why not embrace that?

The past couple days, I've really been trying to do just that. Not just capture life and stop taking pictures because I "don't have anything to photograph", but capture MY life. My daily life. Sure, it may not seem like anything special. And it's definitely not glamorous. But that's not the point. The point is that I capture every moment - no matter how small or how important - because it's my life and that's what's going to make my photography unique and beautiful.

If you're letting these things stop you, like I have, just try capturing the most random things that make your life different. They don't have to be significant things. They don't even have to have a real point or purpose. But they are what will set your photography apart from everyone else's. Embrace the things in your daily life that you have to photograph! Find the beauty in life's messes. Bring your camera along for the ride - literally! :) From plastic tank toys to a surprise ice cream treat to an old, dried up flower - anything you capture can be beautiful.

Anyways, your encouraging comments on my posts really mean a lot, too. I love being able to capture my life and share it with you and it means so much that you guys enjoy it!

So there's my little photography rant.....:) Have you guys ever felt like this?

love in Christ,

delaney ♥

{liquid sunshine blog party!}

2011-04-02T09:41:00.001-04:00

Favorite season, and why? Fall. I love the weather. I love the sights. I love the smells. I love the colors I love the beginning of school. I love the start of football season. I love the transition from the deadly heat of summer to the perfectly cool weather. I love the Fall clothes I can finally dig out. I just love it. Everything about it Fall makes it the most amazing season ever.

What's one weird thing you can do? (The stranger the better!) I've already mentioned this before, but I can do the whole leg-behind-your-head thing. I don't even have to stretch before I do it. When I was younger, I also used to be able to shift my kneecap back and forth (creepy, huh?) but I can't do that anymore. I can honestly admit that I really don't miss that ability.

Rain or shine? Shine, definitely. I love sunshine. Every time it rains, I just feel kinda lazy and I don't like that feeling at all. I'd rather be able to open up all my windows and let the sun shine through and be able to go outside and just enjoy the sunny goodness than be stuck inside with everything gloomy and dark. My answer might be slightly biased, though, as it has been raining nonstop for the past few days and I am just dying for sunshine. ;)

Favorite music? I love Christian music. From rap to rock to worship, I pretty much love it all, as long as it's contemporary. I'm not really into the older types of Christian music, but if it's contemporary, I'll most likely love it. Country music is also another one of my faves. I used to hate it, but it's grown on me. :)

Have you ever made a decision you instantly regretted? What was it? Oh goodness yes....When I was about 6 or 7 years old, we were at SchoolBox buying supplies and my mom let my siblings and I go over to the area where they have their play kitchens and tables. I came across this table . And well....it looked like a fun place to sit. So I hopped onto the table and squeezed myself into the chair. About 2 seconds later, I realized that I didn't fit and was now stuck. Er, yeah. Instantly regretted that.

If you were an animal, what would you be? A bird - preferably one that's pretty and colorful. I think it would be so cool to soar through the sky and just go places. I'm the kinda person who gets extremely bored just sitting around doing nothing and I love to be busy. If I were a bird, I'd be able to go anywhere, anytime, and I think that would be so cool.

Classical music: love it or hate it? Honestly, I'm really not a fan. I don't hate it necessarily because I will admit that in some circumstances I actually do enjoy it and it can be really pretty. But I don't just listen to classical music for fun on my iPod or anything. After a certain amount of time, it just starts to get on my nerves. It tends to make me sleepy and bored ;)

Phobias? Snakes, spiders, {or just big bugs/animals in general}, and really high heights. There's a bunch of other things I don't like or am creeped out by, like blood and people describing painful situations {especially those involving blood}, but I wouldn't say I fear them or have a phobia of them.

Are you an extrovert or an introvert? I'm definitely an introvert around people I don't know or in situations that I'm not comfortable in. If I'm around my friends or family or people who I'm just genuinely comfortable with, I do tend to be a little more extroverted, but I still wouldn't label myself as an extrovert.

Would you/do you perform on stage? I get really nervous talking on a stage or in front of big crowds in general, but as a dancer, I love performing on stage. Dancing on stage is something I really just enjoy - I love the nerves and excitement before I go on to dance and the energy and fun I have once I'm on the stage.

Go join in on the fun over at HorseFeathers to answer some of these fun questions and be entered to win amazing prizes!

on a rainy Wednesday...

2011-03-30T18:10:00.001-04:00

some rainy Wednesday shots...

i love the raindrops in this shot. <3

yep. april showers..... I love rain and all, but it just sets such a gloomy, lazy mood....therefore making me feel the same. missing this sunshine:

what's the weather like where you are?
xoxo,

delaney

weekend in {photos}

2011-03-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Here are some recent photos from my weekend. which basically consisted of hanging out, shopping, sitting out in the sun, and babysitting. how was your weekend?

most of these spring blossoms have turned into vibrant green leaves by now....but I love the pale blue and pink cotton-candyish tones in this photo. <3

after seeing this nailpolish on Kenzie's blog and being the nail polish lover I am, I knew I had to pick this color up. it's a minty green and it's perfect for spring. thanks Kenzie! {go check out her fabulous blog!} plus, the weather was in the 80's so I was able to sit outside and tan burn freckle while I painted my nails. ;)

my mom bought a hyacinth flower and every time I walk past it, I have to take a whiff. mmm, the smell is amazing.

isn't this necklace adorable? I went with my mom to goet the oil in the car changed and while we waited we went shopping....after we ran across the busy road, trying not to get killed, we went to belk, target, t.j maxx, and starbucks. I saw this necklace at belk and instantly fell in love. it wasn't super cheap, but it was totally me {i love owls.} so I had to buy it.
also! At t.j maxx I picked up a pair of jeans to make into shorts - I got the idea from Kenzie :) {can you tell I love her blog?} If you're having trouble finding shorts that are long enough {this is a huge problem for me because my legs are really long} then cutting a pair of jeans and then rolling up the bottom one or two times is a great alternative to buying shorts. It's way easier to do than trying to find a pair of decent length shorts. plus, you can use an old pair of jeans and save money!

random coffee bean shot. I might be totally crazy, but I think coffee beans taste really good plain. not like, a whole handful of them. but sometimes I'll crave one or two. I'm weird, I know.

on Saturday I made a strawberry shortcake with fresh, homemade whipped cream. so.so.so.so.so.yummy. waiting for the whipped cream to beat was well worth the time. :) mmmm, a piece sounds really good right now.

so, that was basically my weekend in pictures. I'm off to go do school now - outside, which I am loving. one of the many great things about being home schooled! hope you guys enjoyed! let me know how you spent your weekend! :)

Photshop Tutorial 2: How to make eyes POP

2011-03-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Today's post is anther Photoshop Tutorial - this one is how to make eyes pop! hope this helps you guys out! it's super easy and super fast, but makes a huge difference!

The first thing you want to do is open up your picture. Make sure it's close up enough and in focus or this tutorial won't work as well as it's supposed to.

This step is optional and you can edit your photo however you want, but I just adjusted the curves a bit to enhance the colors in the photo. My tutorial for that can be found here.

Once your photo is edited to your liking, it's time to work on the eyes. On the side panel of tools, right click over the "Lasso" tool and select the "Polygonal Lasso." Click and drag around the eye to select it and press enter to activate the marching ants. (the little moving black/silver lines)

(hehe, like my blogger post window in the background?) ;)

Once the eye is selected, go to "Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask."

When you click that, a little window should pop up with 3 things - Amount, Radius, and Threshold. This is all just a matter of playing with it and changing the levels until you get the desired look. The higher the radius, the more dramatic and sharpened your eyes will be. You definitely don't want to do it too high or the eyes will end up looking fake and just plain creepy.

When you have your desired look, click Ok and if it looks the way you want, press "ctrl and D" at the same time to deselect the marching ants. ("command and D on a Mac)

Repeat this step on the other eye.

Here's what the final product looks like compared to the original. Nothing crazy dramatic, but it definitely does make a difference.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Let me know if you try it or have any questions! :)

randoms.

2011-03-18T08:56:00.001-04:00

this post was written Thursday, not today, but I didn't get it up until now :)

hey guys! I know I've been slacking on my posting, but I'm back now and hopefully I'll be posting more often. :)

The entire week it has been cold and rainy. Until today. {happy st. patty's day!} It has been gloriously sunny and warm today. The car said it was 82 degrees. eighty-two degrees. *insert McDonald's jingle here* I'm loving it. I am not loving the fact that by June it will be dreadful, but I'm too caught up enjoying the perfect weather now to worry about that. :)

isn't the blue sky incredibly pretty?

I'm working on some Photoshop things right now - hopefully within the next week I'll have the eye tutorial I promised a while ago. I'm also considering changing my blog design. I'm excited to play around with some things over the weekend. :) If you guys have any tutorial requests or questions or whatever, let me know and I'll try my best to help you out!

This past weekend was both exciting and slightly frustrating at the same time. Starting with the exciting - I ordered a new pair of running shoes {because we all know I'm quite the athlete...*coughcough*} a few weeks ago and I love them to death. Mostly because they're coral and gray and cute and make me feel like way more athletic than I am great for running. Anyways, after receiving my sneakers, I decided to clean out my shoes. Upon cleaning them out, I realized that I didn't own a pair of flip flops or sandals or basically any kind of open shoe that fit me. Easy problem to fix, right? So we headed out to Target to see what they had. And thus began my frustration.

Target had dozens of adorable shoes that I loved. But if you know me at all, you know that I have slightly larger huge feet. I'm definitely not beaming with pride about this. But in hopes someone else understands my pain, I tried on a men's 11 and it fit. Er, yeah. So, after trying on handfuls of different brands and types in the biggest size, Target's options were not looking good. Off to the Payless...No luck there. At this point, price wasn't even the biggest concern - I just wanted to find a pair of shoes that fit me. We went to another shoe store and no luck there either. So thus ended my Saturday shoe shopping experience. On Sunday we headed over to 2 more shoe stores - the big ones that make you feel like passing out from shoe overload. And finally....I found some that fit. I could have screamed with happiness when I put on a pair of Women's shoes that fit. Needless to say, I most definitely will NOT be the woman with hundreds of pairs of shoes in her closet. ;)

more pictures and random things later! :)

thoughts of Spring {blog party}

2011-03-02T22:43:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! I'm joining in on the fun of the Thoughts of Spring Blog Party over at Dancing Barefoot! It looks like a ton of fun, so I'm really excited! I'm typing this post up outside because the weather is beautiful - so thankful for it! Also, I know the spacing in this post is messed up. I honestly have no idea why, so I apologize for that!

If you're new, thanks for stopping by! I guess I'll introduce myself first. I'm Delaney, often known in the blogging world as Laney. I'm a homeschooled, curly red-headed teenage girl living in the sweet South. I'm a lover of flip flops, Starbucks, pens, nail polish, blogging, spring time, my friends/family, baking, Target, blog design, my church, dancing, photography, and most importantly, Jesus.
Now, onto the fun!
{All images in this post except for the one above are from wehearit.com and none of the photos belong to me. All credit goes to them!}

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?
If just meeting me for the first time, most people would probably say shy because I usually come across that way at first. I asked my mom, who knows me more than anybody, and she responded with "observant and intelligent." Two words, but it works. :)

Who is your favorite blogger? Why?
I have a few: I love Carlotta at Pastor's Girl's Ponderings, Elaine at Clothed Much, Gussy at Gussy Sews, and Danni at oh, hello friend. Why? they're all so different, but they all have gorgeous pictures, fun to read posts, and super sweet personalities. :)

What is your comfort food/drink?
Ice cream. Especially if it's cake batter. Or contains m&m's, oreos, or sprinkles. Pretty much heaven. Another comfort food for me is popcorn. Buttered popcorn and some TV. As for drinks, I'd have to go with either tea loaded with honey or Green Tea Frappuchinos from Starbucks.

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

If I need to laugh, all I have to do is go onto my mom's iPhone, go to her Talking Tom app, and start laughing or singing. I will literally bust out laughing hearing him repeat all of my sounds. Strange, and the app is probably for little kids, but it could keep me happy and entertained for hours.

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it?
I'd love to go on a mission trip. Definitely something I want to experience.

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?
Romantic Comedy, Comedy, Drama - anything funny, cute, a teeny bit suspenseful, slightly romantic, and just fun to watch. Action moves really don't interest me. At all.

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?
Fiction and Devotional/Study....I especially love Christian fiction and classical fiction.

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types?
A little bit of country, but mostly contemporary Christian. On my iPod, I have a wide range of Christian music, from worship to rock to rap.
If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money?
The first thing I would do with my money would be put set aside certain amounts for different things, most importantly charity/others and saving. I'd definitely give a large portion of it away - I mean, what would I do with a million dollars all to myself? I'm a total saver when it comes to money, so I think at first I'd be kind of hesitant to just spend it. After I had it organized and split, I'd spend it on a few things I've been eying for a while - perhaps a new camera, some Etsy goodies, clothes, and a trip to Target. :)

Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or perform some other strange feat?
I can put my legs behind my head. And type super fast. I'm at 80 words per minute currently. It's a bit crazy.

What are your favorite animals?
Any baby animal steals my heart. Pigs, tigers, puppies, monkeys - anything small and adorable.

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 feel like God has given me a heart and passion for kids. It's not necessarily a talent or anything, but for the longest time, I've always been really good with little kids. I love being around them and I can handle them really well. I definitely feel called to pursue that in my future.

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?
Oh goodness...I have so many. One of my favorite things to catch a whiff of is laundry on a breezy day...especially when the widows are open.

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?
Definitely talked more. I tend to be really shy and reserved in new situations and if I'm not comfortable, I'll hardly say anything. Something I'm working on :)

What is your greatest fear or strange phobia?
I'm really creeped out by the sight of blood, cuts, scrapes, or any kind of injury involving a decent amount of blood. Seeing it or even hearing someone describe it is enough to make me freaked out. I'm also totally afraid of big dogs, snakes, super high heights, and spiders. *shudders*

What movie or book character can you most relate to?
Definitely Anne from Anne of Green Gables. From the red hair to my personality, we could be probably be twins. :)

I'm off to go hop around the list of other participants! Go join in on the fun and link up!

spring is in the air...

2011-02-24T15:23:00.001-05:00

Birds chirping? check. Sunshine? check. Bright blue skies? check. Temperatures in the 70's? check. Flowers blooming? check. Windows open? check. Sunglasses and flip flops? check. Winter coats back in storage? check.
Yep, Spring is most definitely here. And I am SO happy. The weather has been heavenly. 70's, sunny, and clean, crisp air. yes please. if the weather was like this all year round, i'd be more than okay with that. If I could bottle up the happy feelings that come from sitting outside and hearing the birds chirp, I would. because I love it.

new growth

budding all around.

i'm completely in love

with spring.

the beauty of God's creation blows me away. <3

happy love day!

2011-02-14T19:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day, friends! I love you all! <3

it's tuesday.

2011-02-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Today's been a pretty average Tuesday. cold. dark. with tons of school work. Who's ready for spring and summer to come kick this winter weather out? Because I know I am. I always get excited for the "coziness" of winter, but somehow it ends up turning into laziness and dreariness.
I can't wait till the sun finally starts coming out and warming up the world. I'm ready whenever you are, sun. :)

I really enjoy this picture. random fact about it: I took this on the stairs because of the huge window that provides fabulous lighting. I was scared I was going to spill my drink. other random fact: it's not hot chocolate. or coffee. it's cappuccino powder.well, powder mixed with water. but you probably knew that. last random fact: I hate marshmallows. I only added them for the purpose of the photo. after that, they found their way into the trash can. yuck.

who else was wearing their black and yellow attire on Sunday? sadly, the Steelers lost. :( but watching the ~~commercials~~ game was pretty fun. And who saw those glowy people at half time? they were the coolest.

Yep, that's me. those pictures were taken with my mom's iPhone on Thursday night. I ended up in the hospital for really bad pains that turned out to be a kidney stone. I am SO beyond thankful that it wasn't my appendix and it's passed now, so I feel perfectly fine. It was quite the Thursday experience ;) The funny thing was that everyone in my family was sick that morning and I felt great. Then, around 10am, I was in excruciating pain. I couldn't even concentrate on the tv because it hurt so bad. we went to the ER around 6 and didn't get home till 12, so I was pretty wiped out the next day or two. They gave me tons of pain meds, so just waiting around was worse than the actual pain.
Like I said, though, it's all good now :) I just have to drink tons more water and avoid caffeine as much as possible because apparently there's more that were behind it.

isn't the sunlight in this picture heavenly? I miss it. every.single.Sunday it's sunny. And every.single.Monday it rains. It's been this way for the past few weeks. It only took me about 13478960 shots to get this picture, but I think it was worth it. Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with their hair? Because I do. This weekend, we were at the airport meeting one of my sister's friends and 2 random (older) ladies walked up to me and started staring at my hair and going, "ohh, my granddaughter has that exact same color hair." or "you have the loveliest red hair ever.." I basically just smiled and thanked them, but ever since I was little, I've always felt awkward when people come up to me and do that. I don't know why. I just don't like it. It's super kind of people to compliment me and it makes me happy, but at the same time, it always makes me feel weird to be stopped by someone I don't know.

this little birdie just looked so cute and perfect sitting on those branches. kind of reminds me of THIS picture that my sister took a while back.
And to leave you with a verse I love:
Hebrews 10:19 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

have a fabulous Wednesday everyone! :)

a fun giveaway :)

2011-02-02T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!

My sister, Maddie, over at Sweet Tea and Me, is having a fabulous giveaway! She's giving away homemade scarves, a camera strap cover, a devotional, and blog design! Go check it out and enter! :)

Photoshop Tutorial 1: Basic Editing

2011-01-25T19:04:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! Welcome to my first Photoshop tutorial! ;) Today's tutorial is super easy. It's basically what I do to edit most of my pictures, especially nature ones.
Before I start, here's something to keep in mind. NEVER over-edit. I went through a phase a few months ago where I totally over-edited my pictures and looking back now, they are way too overexposed and saturated and contrasted. So anytime you're editing, keep in mind that you still want your picture to look natural and not fake or way too edited. Now that that's done....let's get started!

Step 1: Open up a picture. Easy, right?

Step 2: Go under "Image" "Adjustments" and then click on "Curves." This is possibly my favorite Photoshop tool ever. You can control how dark/light your picture is and I use it on almost every picture I edit to make the colors just the way I want.

Step 3: This is what the Curves box looks like. On this step, it's basically trial and error. Just move the line around until you get your desired look. Remember: don't edit it too much.

Step 4: You don't have to move the line too much to get a dramatic effect. If you're really having trouble getting the line where you want, you can try typing in an Input and Output similar to mine. On every picture, this will vary, so yours might not be the same as mine. Again, it's basically just trial and error.

Step 5: Here's the picture now. Looking pretty different, huh? If you want, you could stop here. But I'm going to take it a step further. Click on "Image" and then "Color Balance."

Step 6: Play around with the different levels until you get your desired look. Obviously, the different color levers will determine how of that color will be added to the picture. A little goes a long way.

Step 7: Save your picture and voila! You have successfully edited a picture! :)

Let's compare the before and after:

before:

after:

Let me know if you decide to try this and how it works for you! If you have any questions, just ask. :)

a few December pictures...

2011-01-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

I was browsing through my picture files earlier and I came across a few pictures from my trip in December that I never got around to posting.....Just looking at them makes me miss the warm weather and gorgeous beaches.

this was definitely the biggest, most amazing rainbow I have EVER seen in my entire life. not only was it enormous - it was so vivid and it lasted for nearly 20 minutes.

blue skies...sunshine...palm trees...*sigh*

the view from this little parking lot was breathtaking. you could see everything from up there.

sooooo blue.

i miss it. the weather, the memories....all of it. but looking back at these pictures put the biggest smile on my face.

random Saturday thoughts and pictures.

2011-01-15T14:16:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! Just a random post today - nothing in particular. ;)

The snow is almost gone. And quite honestly, I am really glad. It was super fun to have it for a few days, but I seriously don't know how you northerners handle it all. I know y'all have more equipment and are more prepared and everything, but still. I think I'd start to go crazy after a few weeks. I'm definitely a southern girl at heart ;)

I'm convinced Photoshop is one of the best things ever. Not only has it been a really great way for me to take a break from exam studying and lower my stress level, but see this picture below? It's a good picture, but pretty average, right? Now scroll down a bit..

It's almost magical, isn't it? I ~~kind of~~ really really love it.

Speaking of Photoshop....would you guys possibly be interested in tutorials of any sort, whether it be photo-editing or blog design? I've considered doing some, but I'm not sure if anybody would like them. So if you'd be interested, drop me some comments with what you'd like them on and I'll definitely consider them! :)

I love basketball. Well, for the most part. ;) I'm not crazy about watching it on TV, but I love playing (if you could even call it that....) and watching it in real life. My dad is coaching my brother's Upward team this year again and I love watching his games. It helps that he's at the age now where the games actually get pretty intense, versus previous years where the most excitement you would get was a kid actually attempting a goal.

Starbucks gift cards are the best. My wallet is currently stocked with a few and it makes me so happy when I'm craving Starbuck's to actually have a gift card to buy one. I'm not big into hot drinks, but I'm addicted to their frappuchinos. Especially the green tea and peppermint mocha. Their lattes (especially the holiday ones) are amazing, too. What's your favorite drink from there?

I experienced a bit of a baking fail yesterday. But it actually turned out pretty amazing in the end. I was attempting some delicious chocolate cupcakes but I accidentally filled each tin a teeny bit too high. As a result, the cupcakes completely overflowed from the tins and I was pretty dissapointed. My mom had the idea to scoop them out of the tin and put them into a pan and smoosh them down into a "cake." I wasn't thinking it would turn out too well, but it ended up working! For the icing, I made a basic chocolate cream cheese, but my mother had *another* brilliant idea to add mint coffee creamer instead of milk. Oh. My. Word. Can you say amazing? I smeared that all over the top and stuck it in the fridge and in the end, it turned out pretty amazing. So if you ever make chocolate icing and you have some minty creamer on hand, add some to it and prepare to be amazed ;) Don't you love when things that seem to be upsetting turn out to be great? {and delicious} :)

Fix it Friday!

2011-01-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I haven't done a Fix it Friday in a while, but they're super fun, so I thought I'd do one today!

Here's the adorable original picture:

and my edits!

this one is my personal favorite :)

which one do you like best?

on cloud nine!

2011-01-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

6 inches. 6 inches of snow. Isn't that crazy!? Since we missed the snow here on Christmas, it was twice as fun having a snow day. or two. or three or four. Schools here have been out nearly all week and though the icy streets are slowly melting, there's still a ton of white outside. It snowed on Sunday night and then during the day on Monday it rained, but the rain froze over the snow, so the top layer of the "snow" was really a sheet of ice.

So in general....6 inches of snow has really put me on cloud nine and therefore made it a really tough choice to narrow down my pictures for Carlotta's On Cloud Nine, but I did manage to narrow it down to a few. :)

just looking at this picture truly makes me happy. If you can't tell, that's my brother with our 5 year old neighbor on his back sledding down our street on a cookie sheet. (hey, that kinda rhymes..) It was absolutely hilarious watching their expressions as they slid down the hill.

typical boy.

adorable. it was so cute hearing him say "faster, Hayden! faster!" as my brother laughed in exhaustion.

i love these boys. :)

snow?!?!

2011-01-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself right now....It is 24 degrees right now. (basically cold enough for me to wear a jacket...and anyone who knows me know that it MUST be cold if I'm wearing a jacket.) and the weather forecast for tonight says that 2-4 inches of snow are expected. 2-4 inches, people! In case you don't know, it hardly ever snows here. Usually an inch or two in February that only lasts about a day. But the weather for the rest of the week will stay in the 30's during the day and 15-20 at night, so hopefully it will stick and stay for a few days. *crossing my fingers for snow!* I'll let you guys know what happens ;)

Christmas Vacation {Part 3}

2011-01-06T20:34:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! :)

Today's pictures are from Guadalupe, which we were actually at on my sister's birthday! :) enjoy!

When we first got off the boat, they had little souvenir and spice tents set up - so cute! they even had a band playing island instruments set up singing We are the World in French ;)

everything was red, yellow, blue, and green plaid! so cute!

they had SO many spices - it was crazy!

spices..

more spices..(this is one of my favorite pictures that I've taken....I love the focus and the blur!)

even more spices...

tons and tons and tons of vanilla bean!

on our way to another market, we found some roosters and hens on the sidewalk. you don't see that too often here. :)

bananas!

Christmas lights on palm trees...kinda funny ;)

fresh roses! so pretty! the second market we went to (with the bananas and the flowers) was super stuffy and crowded and hot, so we quickly escaped and hopped on a bus to go to the beach!

perfectly soft sand...

I actually didn't end up going swimming on this beach...instead I stayed in the sand and built sandcastles with my cousins while taking pictures ;)

sparkly water <3

i love the water background in this picture...

more sandcastles :) we were having some pretty intense *cough cough* sand competitions...

this house was literally right above some rocks by the water hidden slighty by a few palm trees. isn't it gorgeous?

beautiful blue, sunny skies..

goodbye beach!

First Destination - St. Maarten {part 2}

2011-01-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! Thanks for all the positive feedback on the design! Some of the pictures in the header are just a little "sneak peek" at the ones coming up :)

Continuing on with my vacation post in pictures....welcome to destination #1 - St. Maarten (sp?)!

still on the boat...soaking up the sun and anxiously waiting to step onto land! (notice the little rainbow in the corner!)

Half of the island.....one part was owned by the French (the side we visited) and the other side was owned by another country, but I'm totally drawing a blank right now.....whoops :)

side of the boat! I am in love with the windows...on the inside, they're actually like little circular window seats :)

we're here!

the weather was a bit unpromising in the morning...but it totally cleared up and the weather was gorgeous!

playing around with selective coloring - can't tell if I like it or not....what do you think?

palm trees! living in Georgia, palm trees don't really exist, so my camera was full of palm tree pictures by the end of the trip! :)

just look at the water....so blue and clear and perfect.

more amazingly blue water....SO pretty.

sand....or rather tiny pieces of rocks and shells ;)

my adorable cousinnn ;) we shared SO many laughs every night at dinner..

seashells in December!

bright and cheery yellow umbrellas...oh how I would love to be sitting on one of those right now...

slippery moss covered rocks...you had to pay to rent beach chairs, so instead we spread out towels out right by these rocks :) I tried walking on them...knowing me, probably wasn't the best idea. I was *so* close to falling in, but thankfully I saved myself ;)

you're probably getting sick of seeing seashells. but they're one of my new favorite photography subjects :)

uh oh...Bigfoot's at the beach..Oh wait, that's just my footprints...

adios St. Maarten! :)

I am so excited for my next post....while in our next destination, we visited a couple amazing markets with tons of spices and I took a bunch of pictures, so stay tuned!

Testing new design...

2011-01-03T13:50:00.002-05:00

Hey guys....just testing out my new design :)
HUGE thanks to the amazing Emily Joy who did the post titles for me!

Christmas Vacation {part 1}

2011-01-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! First off, Happy 2011! :) Second., be on the lookout for a new blog look! And special thanks to everyone who offered to help me on my last post! I really appreciate it!

Nowww for some pictures! My camera is amazing, but it takes the worst indoor pictures, so I actually have no *gasp* pictures of the inside of the ship or events that happened on the ship. I'm kinda bummed about it, but I know that my sister took tons of pictures, so once she has them uploaded, I'll definitely have her send them to me :)
But that aside, let's get into the pictures!

at the hotel in Florida about to DIE with excitement to head to Port Canaveral....Once we got into the Disney building where they had security and passports and everything, we had to wait for a pretty long time, but they had the whole place decorated with Christmas stuff, so it was fun :) no pictures from that, though. ha, my camera was totally buried under all of my stuff in my bag.

on the bus to Port Canveral....it was raining pretty hard, so we were a little worried there would be rain during our trip. but the most we had were a few light showers, so it all worked out perfectly!

on the boat! our room had a balcony and the view of the water was SO gorgeous. :)

I originally wasn't going to post this because the quality is horrendous. But I figured I would to give you an idea of what my room looked like :) Since you can only have 4 to a room, I stayed with my grandparents. When you walk in the room (where my grandpa is standing) there are 2 bathrooms, 1 with the toilet and a mirror/sink, and the other with the shower and mirror/sink. To the left of where I was standing, there's a couch that pulls out into a bed, which is where I slept and then to the right there was a big vanity area with tons of drawers and a huge mirror :)

Horrible coloring in this picture, but this basically sums up everything on the ship :) On the days we had at sea, they would have all kinds of activites and games in the entertainment rooms....some days they would play new release movies (we got to see Tangled - adorable movie) and then every night they would have a show in their big theater, which ranged from Disney Broadway style shows to magicians and hypnotists. (the hypnotist totally freaked me out. I still think the "hypnotized" people were faking it.) :)

sunset on the balcony. GORGEOUS. seriously. looking out into the ocean with the sun gleaming down on it was breathtaking. I almost couldn't believe how much water there was. Not to mention the fact that the water was SO blue. Probably the bluest water I've ever seen. :)

So amazing...

That's all for part 1....I'm about to head out to go see the new Narnia movie...I am so excited :D anyone seen it yet? what did you think? :) I'll let you know my thoughts after I see it!