May I introduce...My Birds!

Name: Sky
Age: 6 years
Mine for: 6 years
Gender: male

What you should know:

• He is the first bird I bought.
• He used to be more blue (that is why I called him sky) and later turned more turquois
• He LOVES me taking pictures of him...oh and videos! 
• He sometimes sits on my head. 
• When he's in the cage he will sit on my finger 
• He's skinny
• He's the leader of the group
• He loves to sing.
• He loves showing off
• His favorite place to sit is on the bird playground and talk to the wood beam
• He loves to share

Name: Summer

Age: over a 1 year

Mine for: 1 year

Gender: female

What you should know:

• She loves her cage
• She loves to bite wood
• She can't stand it if I change something in the cage...."its gotta go"
• She is really quite
• She is an Albino...I know she's yellow...but she is.**(see comments)
• When she does come out of the cage she flies around like crazy and gets everyone riled up
• She was NEVER shy and scared...she acts like a queen
• She only sleeps on a swing....whichever one she chooses that night...even if someone is already sitting on it

Name: Lake
Age: ?
Mine for: 1 year
Gender: Male

You should know:

• He likes to get my attention be it throwing food on the floor or flying over my head so close that he touches me...
• He loves to hear himself through skype call
• He sings the most
• He has an affair with the bird in the mirror
• If I don't open the cage in the morning in time he will leave through the food bowl hole
• He loves swinging himself...to cute to watch.
• He's shy
• When he sits he looks perfect...so straight and proud
• When your hand is in the cage he will hang on the side of the cage in a corner and hope you don't see him

Name: Meadow

Age:  4 years

Mine for: 1 year

Gender: female

What you should know:

• She has a outgoing personality
• Can't fly really good but is SLOWLY getting better.
• She runs around on the floor
• She is super curious
• She loves to eat
• Is kinda...well...uh...fat
• Loves to visit my room
• Loves looking at herself in the mirror...in my room
• Loves taking baths and getting wet
• Hates it when I push her on the swing

___________________________________________

My bird history started with this bird bellow. My rabbit Samantha had just died and she was really close to me. My Pastor's wife had taken over her cousin's birds when they moved but she really couldn't keep it because she had a cat and one of the birds already flew away because it got scared. I thought birds were boring but it was better than having this empty spot in my room.

On June 14th....a few days before my birthday Snowy came to live with me. She was already 9 years old, was fit as ever but looked so sad...so on the 16th I bought Sky.

Name: Snowy
Age: 1998- 2012
Mine for: 5 years
Gender: female

Soon after she died I bought Summer and put Lake and Meadow together with Sky. They were given to us by a lady who moved back to the States...my grandma didn't want them....and birds think: "The more the merrier!"

Now You have met my four little kids! They bring me what me so much joy and make me laugh. They are full of personality.

5 Photography Tips // Guest Post

Hello readers of The Blue Birdhouse!  I'm Betsy, and I blog over at Heavens to Betsy, where I write about life, love, photography, DIY projects, and Jesus.  When Iris asked me to write a post that was photography-related, I was delighted!  I've been a photographer for a few years now, and I run a little photography business when I'm not busy teaching.  I mostly do portraits, engagements, and family photography, but I've branched out into weddings and live music as well.



Anyway, enough about me!  I thought that I'd share with you what I think are the 5 big things every photographer should think about, particularly about snapping photos of people, because that's what I do.

1.  Composition

Composition is what makes your photo pleasing to the eye.  Any photographer you talk to will tell you about the rule of thirds.  Imagine breaking your frame into thirds and position the subject of your photo in one of the outermost thirds.  There are times when it's appropriate to put your subject dead center, but often, the most interesting photos are when your subject is positioned to the left or right.  Also be aware of where your light source is and pay attention to the lighting in your frame!

2.  Focus

Its SO important, when photographing people, to make sure your focus is in the right place.  Keep the focus of the photo tack-sharp on the eyes...that's what draws the viewer into the photo!  I love these photos of Kathy and Amanda because the background in both photos is blurred...they have great depth of field, and the focus is sharp on their eyes and face.

3.  Details

Its easy, when shooting portraits, to make sure you get good shots of your subject's face.  But what about all of the other details that make up the shoot?  The thing is, your subject has probably put a lot of thought into their outfit.  If you're doing an engagement shoot, there's a ring involved.  Some of my favorite photos from shoots don't even include the face of the subject!  I love how coordinated Nora and Brad were for their military-inspired shoot, and the way Brad folded Nora's hands into his was just precious...this photo communicates their love for one another without even showing their faces!

4.  Subject

Who is the subject of your photos?  If you're doing a shoot with just one person, the answer is obvious.  When you're doing engagement, couple, or family shoots, you have the ability to switch things up.  Often with engagement shoots, the bride-to-be is featured (and she should be!), but I like to make sure I also get a few shots where I focus on the groom-to-be.  These two photos from my cousin's engagement shoot show examples of featuring both the bride and groom simply by varying who is looking at the camera.

5.  Keep it Fun!

Any time you're taking photos of people, there's the potential for them to be stiff or nervous, and those emotions will come through in their photos!  Look for ways to keep it fun and loose, especially when you're working with kids.  I did a family shoot this fall, and we took advantage of the fall leaves and incorporated them into the shoot!  Sure, we also took serious, posed family shots, but having spent time playing and loosening up at the beginning of the shoot made everyone more comfortable, and made the entire experience fun and exciting!



So those are some of my tips.  I'm definitely still learning and growing as a photographer, but these tips are just some of the things I've learned over the past few years.



If you like my work, I'd invite you to stop by my personal blog, photography website, or Facebook page!  And if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at betsy.gettis@gmail.com!


-Betsy

 _________________________________

Thank you so much Betsy for visiting  my blog and giving us this great advice.  I don't remeber how I found Betsy's blog but its such a joy to read her posts and she has been my sponser....for a few months now and i am really enjoying getting to know her.

If you've learned something new...comment and tell us...and go visit her blog and say hello! ☺

Love,
Iris

The Visa is Here & little things that make me happy

Getting a visa....is not so easy. I told you guys <here> about the meeting.... that she told us Patrick was getting one but that we didn't know what kind of visa or for how long. Acctually we still had to bring a proof of income and when Patrick went to pay and bring the papers they told him they already had it!!! Were we surprised! Of course he didn't have his passport on him so he had to wait till the next day.....

Friday, between classes he went to pick it up.... She gave him a residence permit till Oct 17th. This is an answer to prayer. It does not give him permission to work but we can continue to pray and see what the Lord has in store. The Lord can change hearts and minds....we just need to continue to pray and have faith.

One happy guy and one happy girl behind the camera!

Another fun tidbits of this week:

Fun tissue packs.

 I know...nothing special but its the little things that make me smile and who can say no to polka dots!

My Birds

My one green bird (I know....after the series I will properly introduce you to them all) came to visit me in my bedroom. I brought her back to the cage thinking she might just not know her way back to the cage but nope....soon she came flying in with a crash landing....her style...and sat right back on the little blue stool by the mirror. There she sat all day (leaving poop) till I brought her back to her cage at night...and quickly closed the door behind me.  That day she was all together fun....she sat on my head for the first time. Sorry you can't see her head but its a selfi.☺ And she sat on my jewlery box.

Snow

Its been really weird weather. It snows, it rains, it melts, it snows, it freezes, it melts, it hails, it snows....yeah, really strange but today I looked out of my window and just had to share! I LOVE big snowflakes.

MAIL! 

 I love mail...and this was a big surprise. I had told you that I had a pen pal... now she diligently reads my blog but today she surprised me not only with a letter but with a CUTE CUTE booklet. I am totally in love. I think I shall just sit and stare at it. ☺

Sending mail

I do try to practice what I preach and sent three letters today. Hopefully two of them will be a surprise.  ☺

What have you been up to this week?

Day Eight- Ideas for a Valentines Party

Two years ago, my first Valentines day with Patrick, I was in the US at my college. The weekend before Valentines day an acquaintance randomly texted me and asked how I was doing. I was enthusiastic at that time. Patrick had totally surprised me by coming down from TN to FL! I did not expect him...but that is a different story. I told her about Patrick's surprise... but you see, her boyfriend had just broken up with her. It was a rather nasty situation and it would have been her first Valentine as well. She was sad and hurt and told me she "hated" Valentines day. 

What could I do? I never have been in her shoes but I did want her to be unhappy, not let this other persons rudeness stop her from being happy 'cause he sure didn't care. I texted her back much of what I wrote on the first day of the Series.....that Valentines is not about boyfriends and girlfriends but about showing extra love to the people close to you. I told her she could have a party with her girlfriends. She wasn't to excited about the idea but a few hours later she wrote me that they had planned a little party. She thanked me for the idea....so how about you? Why not plan a party for YOUR girlfriends?

Here are some ideas:

Decoration Inspiration:



The heart yarn wreath....is so simple but beautiful.

I ♥ U boards.....great of a mantel

X O X ....window garland.

Rose heart, burlap, black frame.....what else do I have to say...cute!

 This above craft is super cute and rustic looking.
 
Food Ideas:

Heart Pizza......how cool is that! 

Heart Carrots.....maybe in a soup?

Heart Frittata......sounds healthy! 


Pina Colada Fruit Dip....with fruits cut into shapes?!

Meatloaf hearts....how cool is that!

Mini heart pizzas....with faces!!!

Breakfast.....Heart-egg-toast....with heart bacon!

If you just want simple ideas for food...on a low budget but lots of people.... <here> are a list of ideas.

Fun Crafts:


Easy love notes.....I totally want to do these! 

Be mine "hand made" card....nice.

A heart out of spool...different but beautiful


Heart Collage....tutorial by mio! ☺ 


 Newspaper heart garland...when can I do this?
 
Scrapbooking, Birds, Love....I want to make this one day.

Sweet Gifts:

Doily Candle holder...simple & everyone will love it.

Valentine Ring Bling....pipe cleaners and Hershey kisses. ☺

52 Reasons "I love you".....for your mom?


Love Note Pillows.....these are pretty. I might do a version of this



I have a few more ideas that I am collecting on my Pinterest board "Valentines Day Everything".

If you have anything on Valentines you'd like to share (or a devotional we might enjoy) you can link up >here<.

Follow me here:

Goals 2013

I have never ever done something like this before. I always had goals but I never wrote them down and never really worked on them this way. A friend told me about this idea and I started writing things down I already tried or had been wanting to do, etc. I am now sharing them with you and will do a weekly/ monthly update....hopefully this way I will be challenged and encouraged to continue working at it.

 
Personal goals
-be more efficient with my time
-read a book every month (shouldn't be to hard with college)
-finish all my classes for my degree
-create something once a month (digital, crafting, sewing)
-Drink 1 glass of pure water every day
-Play piano at least 4x a week
-do a recording-log (at least once a week)
-Practice violin 1x a week
-Exercise for 15 min/week

Blogging goals

-keep in mind that this is only a hobby & cannot interfere with other things
-1 guest post/month
-1 vlog/ month
-guest post on another blog once
-Start a linkup

Couples Goal list
-practice one song a month together (German or English/ Singing or instrumental)
-continue to pray together every night
-continue monthly date night
-Work on hobby together


Spiritual List
-other than pray & read my Bible more
-Pass out one tract a week on my own.

Do you have any goals for you New Year? Share them with me!

My Christmas Summary (not so short version)

How has your Christmas been. I had really good Holidays:

Sunday:

On the Sunday before Christmas we celebrate together as a church. It was a guest Sunday with dinner on the grounds. After that the guests left and it was “family time”. We sat in a circle talked about the last year and then had our gift exchange….

Monday:

Today we had a Christmas service….we had a few lost people there that heard the gospel. After the service we had some really good food, we sang together as I played on my new piano, read the Christmas story and then it was time to open gifts.

Tuesday:

On this day nothing really happened….my uncle got sick and we all had a slow day of good food and fun.

Wednesday:

Pretty much all day we played games, games, games…well only two. We played a few rounds of triple domino and a few rounds of Apples to Apples. We ended the day with a movie. ☺

Starting last week and till the end of next week I am watching a 97 year old lady. She is my mom’s boss’ mom…I am having a good time and making money. ☺ I don’t have any internet there and blogging has been kinda hard. I won’t be blogging next week…I have made some new goals for next year which I want to share with you soon and I also have some new things planned for the blog but this upcoming month things will be a little slow BUT…..you shall still hear from moi! 

I truly love blogging but for now it is dumb for me to let my hobby stress me. Believe me when I tell you I admire people that post every day and don't like when you never know when or if you will hear from a blog. I want to & will post if there is something I'd like to share with you. If I don't have time...

Miss hearing from you all as well but I hope you guys had a wonderful & relaxing Christmas holidays!!!