This week is about shapes. And since shapes are EVERYWHERE, this is a very open ended challenge.

I didn't do much snapping this or last week due to the slow and painful recovery after a tonsillectomy, so I'd like to share one of my favorite shots from Valentine's Day.

We were driving back to our B&B after an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping, and passed this amazing tree house. My husband, who never stops the car when I'm ooohing and aaahing at the scenery, actually offered to pull over! My exclamation of adoration must have been particularly enthusiastic this time! (I should really perfect the technique for use on shopping trips.)

Or maybe something from his childhood sparked inside. Either way, I got a few great shots. Here's my favorite one.

So don't forget to look up at the trees, you might find a few surprises!

This was taken during my son's first haircut, last summer. We were so nervous as to what his reaction would be, but thanks to my husband's long time barber, our little man had fun! 

He got to watch other men getting haircuts for a few minutes. Then out came a bowl FULL of lollipops. This was before he knew what they were, so he was just content to pick through all the colors. The barber even let him turn on the buzzer a few times! What's not love?

As soon as the weather warms up, our little shaggy headed monster needs a return trip. I can only hope it goes as smoothly as the first. 

Do you have any tricks for getting little ones to sit through haircuts?

This week I missed out on 'i heart faces' because of having TOO much stuff to do. And wouldn't you know it, that is exactly the theme this week at



WORK!

Here's the pictorial version of my newly updated resume.
(as always, click the photo for a larger size)


Duster of all things... dusty! Ahhh, meditation amidst fields of white.



Snack-hander-outer.



Washer of dishes.

I've been admiring all the photo cooking posts for a while now, and kept meaning to try one of my own.

Wow! I have so much more respect for these ladies now! It's certainly not as easy as it seems. Terrible lighting (in my kitchen), dirty hands, clingy toddler begging to be allowed next to the hot oven. But it was fun! In between mixing, stirring, bringing the bowls for photos next to the window for some nice light, freaking out because the mixture 'curdled' (I've come to the conclusion that it was supposed to), burning myself (only once thank god), and running into the living room to check that Allen isn't trying to figure out how the TV works, I did manage to produce some yummy muffins.

Not bad for a first time!

And I should mention that this muffin experiment was inspired by my need of an actual muffin pan so I can make these CHUNKY CRAYONS. I only had a few of the disposable foil muffin liners that I've made cupcakes in one or twice. I figured that if I can hook my husband on muffins, then I would have a stronger case of why I need one. Evil, I know. =)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease twelve 2 3/4-inch muffin cups.

Mix blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour; set aside.

ENJOY!

Faces, faces everywhere! Can you guess what this week's assignment over at
was?

I'm usually all about faces, but this week Allen wasn't having much of it (again) and decided to sabotage every shot with movement. But thanks to the holy (or is it unholy?) powers of the all mighty photoshop, a few have been salvaged!

Tomorrow, or rather tonight, we're expecting about 6 inches of snow. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get some really cute photos of him then (shutter speed should be able to keep up in daylight!).
I'll update if it's a success!
And here's one more from mommy's first attempt at muffins. 

*** Update ***

Here's a favorite shot of mine from this afternoon (how I loooove bright light).

There's a fabulous challenge up at this week. It's to tell the story of your favorite romantic place through photos.

Our honeymoon location easily tops that list, and considering I got well over 1000 shots during a one week span... this should rather easy! The hard part, once again, will be to narrow it down to my most favorite shots. Wouldn't want you guys to wait ALL day for the post to load. =)

So without further delay, I present to you.... Tahiti!

Hm okay, it didn't really start out with that view, but it's a little more dramatic than:

Granted after about 36 hours of no sleep (I'm terrified of flying and there were 2 extremely long flight involved), the picture above holds more value to me personally. It's proof that I made it without having to down a bottle of Xanax in the process!

After a 2 hour layover, we got on a little puddle jumper, and shortly thereafter landed in Moorea. 

While we waited for our room to be prepared, we got to relax by the pool. It was such a treat after the long flight that I felt that I could have laid there forever and be happy.

We explored the little island thoroughly over the next few days, taking in all of what it had to offer. Feeding sharks and sting rays, picnic on a private motu (tiny island), local restaurants, and on the last day we rented a scooter and circled the entire island. Surrounded by so much beauty and perfection, it was impossible not to feel love. For each other, for nature, for the friendly locals with their lyrical dialect.

Here are a few more of my favorites from Moorea.