I'm Dreaming of a White New Year

...that is as in sand. =)

Blessings,

~Emily

Checkpoint!

My blog now has thirty followers!! Thank you guys SO VERY MUCH! I really appreciate your comments and support!

Congratulations to my thirtieth follower...... Moriah H!! Thanks cousin!! xD

Blessings,

~Emily =)

Peace On Earth

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host prasing God, and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2.14

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a season full of joy \o/

Blessings!

~Emily Yvonne

    

Update

Hey followers! I've changed a few things on my blog... just thought I'd point them out.

1) I've created a "favorite blogs" page (check it out!) and removed the blog links from the sidebar.

2) I've added a poll to my sidebar - please vote!

A few things to note..
   I am almost finished with my "about me" page titled Me and My Gear... it should be finished shortly. My portfolio is almost finished as well! :) 

   I am thinking about changing the look of my blog... what do you think of a black/dark colors theme? Feel free to comment with ideas!

 

 

~Emily

Eat Mor Chikin

I would totally like one of these.

This picture reminds me of the song "Company Car" by Switchfoot! ;D Listen to it below.

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
                  ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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Slimed!!

We've been slimed!! ;D

Soli Deo Gloria!

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                   ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Christmas Bokeh pt2.. Revised!

I decided to revise my Christmas Bokeh bells picture. What do you think? =) I've been playing around with custom bokeh, It's been a lot of fun! =D

Props to Peter S for sharing info on this technique!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
                  ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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Christmas Bokeh pt2

This photo is obviously not entirely bokeh, but hey.

Hope you liked it! Feel free to comment with suggestions, pointers, etc. Thanks!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
                           ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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Christmas Bokeh pt1

Bokeh:
Pronounced bo-key
“The visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image.”

I'll be posting more Christmas light pictures soon! :)

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
                           ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Starlight, Starbright

...wishing on the first star of the night.

Starlight - by Jim Brickman

Memories!!

I have loads of memories from my grandma and grandpa's house! :D

We have moved seven times since I was born, but my grandparents' house has stayed the same all these fifteen years (except for the little table that used to be in the living room...), their house feels more like home than our house!

This year we [once again] celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandparent's house in Ohio, and while we were there mom had the brilliant idea of reenacting one of our many photos from grammy's house!

The two main differences in these photos are my age, and what I'm 'riding.' :D I'm two or three years old in the first picture and fifteen in the second. In the first photo I'm riding my trusty 'ol wagon-scooter, and in the second one - my fantastical ripstik! :D

I hope you enjoyed these photos! I thought it was pretty fun. :)

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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Thoroughfare

Happy Birthday Peter S.!! I hope you had the most wonderful day ever.

November Snow

We had small flurries off and on for a few hours this morning. It was so pretty! :D It makes me look forward to snow that will stick, in the next couple months. :)

These aren't fantastic photos or anything, just thought I'd share them. :) I had fun trying to capture the quickly falling snow.

[all photos were taken by me and are copyright protected; Emily Yvonne Photography :]

 It looked like we were in a snow globe that had just been shaken. :D

Kitties' first "snow"! ;D

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - 11.27

I hope you enjoy these photos~

1. Waiting

I was waiting my turn in a chess game. :D

2. Foliage

3. Candid

I snapped this shot at the Kentucky State Fair this year. The little boy had just pet the baby cow and was very delighted. :D

4. Knife, Fork or Spoon

How 'bout all three?

5. Rule of Thirds

I love the rule of thirds!! =D I use it often. I took this picture at the Kentucky Opry a while back.

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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Thankful

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! I was planning on posting something on Thursday but I decided not to (obviously.)

I had the best Thanksgiving ever! :D I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

We shouldn't save all our thankfulness for Thanksgiving only... every moment of our lives we should give thanks to God for everything He has blessed us with!

I thank God for ma famille. I love them so much!

Today is my paternal grandpa's birthday! Happy birthday BigDaddy!! I love and miss you!!

My expression in this picture absolutely cracks me up. xD Isn't it hilarious?? lol!!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Stylish Blogger Award

I've been awarded the...

Thank you so much, Leah, for awarding me! I'm so honored!

I understand I'm supposed to say seven things about myself and award five other bloggers in order to receive this award... So here goes! =D

(I'm working on an "about me" page, so I'll try not to say too much ;D)

1. I was born in the big city of Nashvegas. (Nashville TN;)
2. My hair used to be 31 inches long. :D
3. I have always wanted and dreamed of having an older brother to look up to, and a younger sister to take care of. <3 (I'm an only child)
4. I LOVE horses (my room has lots of horsey stuff) but I've never owned a horse, and have only ridden one a few times (...even though we lived on a friend's horse farm for five years.)
5. I love water very much but can be deathly afraid of it.
6. I love books! Some of my favorite authors are: C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, Renee Riva and Alex & Brett Harris
7. Oh yeah. I'm extremely shy most of the time. ^_^

If the title "stylish blogger award" seems kinda 'girly'... for you guys I'm awarding, you can call it the "awesome blogger award" if you want. :)

 Behold my award-ees.......

First of all I'd like to award Geneva at Geneva Victoria! Not only is she a gifted photographer, she is a longtime best friend. Genny lives in WI and I in KY, but distance hasn't kept us apart. We've been close friends since 2006, writing letters and getting to see each other about every other year. Her blog is beautiful in appearance and spirit! Please visit her blog and tell her hi, she'll be glad that you stopped by.

Le second award goes to the magnificent, one and only, Peter Schmidt of Snap of the Shutter! Pleeeease check out his blog, follow it, and share it with the small part of the world that hasn't seen his photos. Okay, there is a shamefully large amount of people who don't know about Peter's photography, so get to sharing! I know he doesn't call himself a professional, but I still hold him in the highest regard. He has a great eye for photography and uses it to glorify God. He's inspiring, encouraging, helpful, and a great friend. Go check out his site!

Thirdly, I wish to award Leah S. at Blue Inglenook {Photography}! A fantastic photographer taking pictures to glorify her Lord. She's very sweet and is fun to follow! Please check out her blog, you'll be glad you did!

The fourth award goes to Ashley! at Ramblings and Photos. Awesome blog, and awesome photographer. She hosts the Scavenger Hunt Sunday (I'm hooked on it!) and a few other challenges from time to time. Check out her blog soon! :D You'll love it.

Award number five goes to Michael of Young Christian Artist! Inspiring, encouraging, inspiring, a fantastic artist, inspiring.... and did I mention his work is inspiring? Please check out his blog soon, follow it and share it with others! He is a very skilled artist - I can't wait to see what he'll draw or paint next! :D

  

 Okay....... I know I'm only supposed to award five blogs, but there are three more blogs I'd like to acknowledge. :)

I want to award Katie at Scripture and a Snapshot! Scripture and a Snapshot is only one section of her blog, she is a very gifted photographer and loves her Saviour! Please check out her blog!

I'd like to award Lizzie at The Wonders of Christ. Lizzie has several blogs, check them all out here! Lizzie is a photographer and a gifted up-lifter. I really enjoy reading her posts and I'm sure you will too!

Last but definitely not least... I award Britt at Encouragement for Everyday Struggles. Her blog is truly that! Don't be startled if you only see a bunch of HTML when you click on the link (maybe it only happens on my computer...) just scroll down to her posts! Not only are her posts uplifting, she always has an encouraging word when she comments on others blogs. Follow her blog if you enjoy her posts!

Thanks again, Leah!! You are a wonderful blogger-friend and I hope to meet you someday. :) God bless!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - 11.20

Hello all! I hope you enjoy my photos! When you finish reading this post, please rate your experience by clicking on the little box next to the word you think describes this post the best. :) Thanks so much!

Linking up with Ramblings and Photos!

I was sooo busy this week I completely forgot about the prompts. :P So some of these I had to pull out of my archive. Oh well, it's still fun! :)

1. Mainly One Color

 Fall is my time of year. I love the colors, the smells and all the fun photo opportunities.

2. Around the Home

Home is where the heart is. And my heart is in music, specifically the piano. 

This picture is of my treasured piano that a local church gave to me this year. I am so grateful! It's been such a huge blessing.

3. Reflection

 WhooHoo!! Reflections are one of my most favorite subjects! =D This is one of my best reflection shots this year.

4. Writing

Can you figure out what this photo is of? =) It's [part of] my and my cousin's height measurements on our grandmother's wall! For this prompt I was going to do a picture of my huge collection of letters from my pen-pals, but being away from home prohibited me from doing so. :)

5. Water

Water is another of my favorite subjects to shoot. =) I'm still working on perfecting this shot... I've figured out a few things I can do to make it better but haven't had time for a re-shoot.

Props to Matt for the sink inspiration!

If you enjoyed this post and perhaps have seen more of my posts and enjoy them as well, please follow my blog (if you haven't already) at the top of this page on the right hand side and share me with others! I love hearing from new people. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

I forgot

I forgot "Flash-Back Friday" yesterday! Oops! Oh well. :) I guess I'll just have to post a "Flash-Back Saturday."

So here 'tis.

This flash-back picture is of our Generation Joshua (GenJ) club ringing bells for the Salvation Army last December. I took my keyboard and several of us played Christmas songs! :D It was really fun - I'm looking forward to this year's bell ringing! Only two more weeks! I've been practicing playing my keyboard while wearing gloves. :D

^^I'm the one playing the keyboard :)
[several GenJ members not pictured above]
Thank you to everyone who donated!

Moth

This is one of my favorite shots, I hope you enjoy it as well.

"...help thou my unbelief."

Last week I posted a morning devotional from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening; today I am posting the evening devotional from the same day. I've also added my own thoughts at the end.

Enjoy! :)

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening; evening devotional November  9

“His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”

Isaiah 33.16

O Christian, do you doubt whether God will fulfill his promise? Can the "munitions of rocks" be taken by storm? Shall the storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father will forget you, even though he knows that you need food and clothing? When not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge, and the "very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt. 10.30), will you mistrust and doubt Him? Perhaps your affliction will continue until you dare to trust your God, and then it will end. There are a great many believers who have undergone trials and been very stressed, until at last they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God—and the moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance. They have seen whether or not God would keep His promise. Oh, I urge you, do not doubt him any longer! Do not please Satan, and do not distress yourself, by indulging in unbelieving thoughts about God any longer. Do not think it is a light matter to doubt Jehovah. Remember, it is a sin, and not a little sin, either; it is criminal in the highest degree. The angels never doubted him, and neither did the demons. We alone, out of all the beings that God has made, dishonour Him by unbelief, and tarnish His honour by mistrust. Shame on us for this! Our God is not deserving of such low-minded suspicion. In the past, we have proved Him to be true and faithful to His Word. With the many examples of His love and of his kindness that we have received, and are daily receiving, from His hands, it is disgraceful and inexcusable for us to allow a doubt to stay within our hearts. From this time on, may we wage constant war against doubts of our God, which are enemies to our peace, to His honor. With an unwavering faith, may we believe that what He has promised, He will also perform. “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9.24).

I had never thought about it that way. We are pleasing Satan when we doubt God! We are dishonoring Him, and tarnishing His honor with mistrust! I don't know about you, but I'm not perfect. I am a fallen human being. I do not trust Christ as I should. Every time we complain, we are doubting His promises! Does He not know what is best for us? Does He not love us and care for us each and every day? I encourage you - trust Him today! Do not dishonor Him with mistrust. Do not please Satan by complaining. God has given us people in our lives to teach us patience, kindness and obedience. When your mom or dad tells you to clean your room or look after your younger siblings - what is your first reaction? Is it "yes ma'am/sir"? Even if it is, what is your heart's reaction? Do you grumble and complain in your heart? If we cannot obey our parents and teachers with a cheerful and obedient heart, how much harder then will it be to obey Christ? Remember you are setting an example to everyone around you. Everyone! If your little sister or brother sees you get aggravated when you're given an instruction, what do you think she/he will do the next time they're told to do something?

I hope this devotional and my own thoughts have encouraged and inspired you to trust the Lord. I am constantly learning. God is very good to teach me these things. I pray you will seek after Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Did you enjoy the devotional? You can read Spurgeon's Morning and Evening online, here!

Flying Squirrel?

This little guy was fun to photograph. :) He and a buddy were playing tag. It was pretty funny!

ʎʇʇıʞ

Upside down kitty!

Birthday Tea~

Last Saturday we had a Birthday Tea for my grandmother! It was so much fun. :) My Aunt T. and cousin Katy came up from TN and we girls (me, my mom, aunt, cousin and grammy) put it all together. We invited my grandmother's special friends from church, and many who my mom and aunt had known through their childhood years.

My cousin and I are both huge shutterbugs... we had a complete blast taking pictures before, during and after the event. :D

Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

My aunt is a graphic designer (♥); she made the invitations for the party. They were beautiful!

My cousin and I frequently got distracted while we were setting up the day before. ;) I loved the afternoon sun coming through the West windows! I thought the vases were very pretty.

This is one of the many roses that were on the tables.

Everything looked SO pretty! The party was beautiful. We made little rosebuds out of two Hershey's Kisses wrapped in red cellophane on a stick for each place setting.

oh my GOODNESS! the food table was gorgeous! Everything from a good ol' veggie tray, fruit, cheese and crackers and cucumber sandwiches to biscotti's, mini cupcakes and pumpkin cheesecake squares. *squeal*

My cousin and I made rainbow cupcakes (sooo fun!!) and I made icing roses for the top of them. It was so fun! :D ..Until I got to the thirtieth rose and still had twenty to go..... ;)

Everyone enjoyed the party. They laughed, chatted and spoke of the good ol' days. Oh, and they drank tea. :) Except.... for someone who left the only tea she liked... at home. *facepalm* That'd be me. o__o

This picture is of everyone watching a lovely slideshow my mom and I compiled of tons of photos from over the years. The particular picture shown on the screen in this photo, is of my grandmother (center) with my mom (left) and aunt (right). Aren't they cute?? :D

This is my wonderful Grammy! ♥ I love you so much! I'm so glad we had the opportunity to celebrate with you. :)

Here we are! L to R: Me, Mom, Grammy, Aunt T. and Katy. :)

I like this picture. It's Katy taking a picture of my mom and aunt with two of their childhood friends - with one of their cameras. :D

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I might post a few more later on. It was a very fun time and a huge blessing. Special thanks to Susie for helping set up, take down and for keeping us laughing and smiling! You are so sweet!

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
     ((¸¸.·´

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - 11.13

Linking up with Ramblings and Photos yet again! ツ

I hope you enjoy my take on the prompts this week.

1. Before and After (processed image)

 One of my favorite things to do is edit photos in PhotoShop. I have PhotoShop Essentials7 (PSE7) and I continue to learn more and more about the program. When I was younger I heard my aunt say, "Oh, I can just photoshop you in" or "I can fix that in photoshop," many times. Little did I know I'd be doing that very thing years later! ;D For this photo I took out the power lines and lights and darkened the building. I really enjoyed editing it. ツ

2. Opposing Lines

Last night we stopped by a fire scene and I took this picture. [see recent news here] Please pray for the victims of this catastrophe!

3. Custom Bokeh

Yesterday I realized I needed three photos for this week's prompts. xP I'm still learning about "custom bokeh"... but I thought this picture was okay for the category; it is out-of-focus city lights from the top of a hill.

4. Which pair of shoes should I wear?

This prompt had me stumped. I rarely find myself in such a predicament as wondering what shoes I should wear. ;) I took this picture in a local thrift store.

5. Little Features (little hands, little feet, etc.)

I did not take this photo... I'm in it!! This is my dad holding me two days after I was born. I couldn't think of what picture to take for the "little features" prompt, but when my mom showed me this old picture I loved it so much I just had to use it. :)



I hope you enjoyed my pictures! If you don't mind, please leave a comment and let me know what you think! ツ

Soli Deo Gloria!

  *¸.-:|:- .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:|:-  Emily -:|:-~~'
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