A Trip to a Horse Ranch

After Christmas, my entire family (cousins and all) went to a lovely horse ranch. It was so beautiful there. Here are few photos I took. 

We payed a little town a visit. It had such adorable shops there.

 We went to eat at an awesome restaurant. The food was delicious! :)

My younger cousins and siblings went horseback riding. :)

I loved taking morning walks at the ranch. It was so refreshing (except for the horse manure smell ;) ) and calming there.

I know this is a short post, but I've been so busy lately. My next post will be another adventure I've had this week. I'll share it with you all soon. :) TaTaForNow!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve from Eve S on Vimeo.

Hey guys! Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas?!? Okay, okay. Technically it's Christmas already since I'm posting this late, but oh well. I have to say, Christmas really snuck up on me. This whole month has been such a blur. December always seems to go so quickly with all the holiday stuff. I decided to make a short, artsy video for you all. :) I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 

p.s. The Help is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm almost done with it now.

p.p.s. I just finished The Mysterious Benedict Society, and it was such a humorous and enjoyable read. 

I love how on the holidays I get to have plenty of time for read. :)

What's some of your favorite things about Christmas?

Blogging

After reading this post by Hannah, who shared her thoughts on how blogging has become more commercialized and impersonalized, I decided to share my view on the matter as well. I feel like bloggers can sometimes become consumed in how much traffic, followers, and stats they're getting. To me, blogging is so much more than that. Blogging is sharing our lives, and stories with others and making new friends from around the world.

It's easy to fall into the mindset that it's all about the popularity our blogs are getting or how many views we get in a day. Sometimes I catch myself wondering why one post got more comments than the other, or why I haven't gotten any new followers lately. But then I remember why I ever even started blogging. I decide to do it simply to share God's love, and to capture the sweet moments of life through photography and writing. 

I remember when I first started my blog about a year ago. I didn't have any followers for a few months, let alone any views. It left me feeling discouraged, because in a way I wanted to know if there was someone out there who was even listening to what I was writing. The teen blogger community on here is so amazing. After awhile, people started to discover my blog, and I met so many kindred spirits. I love how we all support and encourage each other. It really is a beautiful thing. 

It's hard to be ourselves in a sea full of blogs. I find myself trying to conform to the ways other people blog. I've realized that blogging is about originality. We share inspiration, our lives, advice, etc. I love what Hannah mentioned in her post,

"But at the heart of it, blogging is truly about your story. Step outside and breathe in the smell of leaves and remember why you write. Bake with your littles in your kitchen, flour on your face, and remember why you make pictures. Spend a day surrounded by family, and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be."
-Hannah

Even though it's nice to get comments and followers, let us not forget the reason we started blogging in the first place.
Be you when you blog.
Because you're awesome and unique.
And no one else has quite a story like yours.

(Hannah started a project called Your Story awhile back. Although she has stopped blogging, I thought I could share her idea with you guys. It's where you share a post of your photography and write about how your life has been once a week on your blog. The purpose of this project is to be original with what you post, and to share your story with others. I'm gonna do it. Why not give it a try?)

p.s. I did a photoshoot for my sister on her blog. I just adore her style. Here's the link:http://queen-anneslace.blogspot.com/ if you would like to check it out. 

Indoor Picnic, Haircuts, Nasty Jellybeans, and More

I feel like I haven't posted about how life has been lately. So I thought I would share a few interesting things that has happened recently. This post is filled with randomness, so be prepared. ;) Hope you enjoy!

Indoor Picnic

{Attempting to do the duck beak thing with Pringles like her sister. Unfortunately it didn't really work out for her. ;)}

First off, let me tell you about our indoor picnic. My little sisters dreadfully wanted to have a picnic outside. Of course that wasn't going to happen since it was freezing outside. So we decided to have an indoor picnic in our living room. I made duck shaped sandwiches (it was actually more fun than I expected), cut up some oranges, and put a little stack of Pringles on their plates. Meanwhile my little sisters searched for a blanket for our lovely picnic. It was a meal fit for a king. ;)

Haircuts

{one of my sisters' haircut}

The second thing was that my younger sisters got their hair chopped off. Okay, well..that sounded dramatic. ;) Their hair was getting very long, and it was so hard for them to brush it. So we went to a hair salon and they got a haircut. They absolutely love their new do! It looks so adorable on them.

Nasty Jellybeans

{I checked off the ones I ate}

We did the Jellybean Challenge at my youth group. It's where you spin a spinner thing, and you have to eat whatever colored jellybean it lands on. The thing is, you have no idea what flavor it will be. It could be a lovely flavor or a horribly nasty one. The skunk spray one actually tasted like the smell when you run over a skunk. O_O I don't know if I'll ever get that taste out of my mouth. The moldy cheese one was awful as well! It was a really fun game but nasty at the same time. :) Also, do you notice the description near the bottom that says 'Naturally and Artificially Flavored'?

 I don't even wanna know... ;)

Camera Name

So I think I've figured out what to name my camera. I know it sounds silly to name it, but I've heard that other photographers do just that, and I thought it would be a cool thing to do. Its name is...Cornelius. It's not for any particular reason. It's just because I like it. It seems like such a heroic, noble name to me.

Well I think that's about it. Hopefully this was an enjoyable (and entertaining ;) ) read. :)

My Own Little World | Video

Sometimes,

 when this world seems to fall apart,

I escape it,

for a while.

I go to my own little world.

Its portal can be found in books,

or just by looking out the window,

simply being lost in thought.

Then I'm there.

Everything is so magical,

I remember coming here everyday as a child.

This world is where my dreams came true 

and where nothing was impossible.

As I've gotten older

 my little world has gotten harder to reach.

But I always manage to find my way back,

 somehow.

My own little world,

called Imagination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S.

So I decided to try out the video setting on my camera. I love the quality! I put some random video clips together on Windows Movie Maker and made this little video. It was really fun to make so hopefully you all enjoy it. :) I would love to make more videos in the future. 

Video from Eve S on Vimeo.

Aspiring Blogger 03: Rachelle

This week, I got the chance to interview Rachelle from Beloved Bluebird. Her blog was one of the first blogs I found when I first started blogging. She is such an inspiration to me, and I was so excited when she agreed to be interviewed. I hope you all enjoy this interview. :)

​Hello Rachelle! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
Hello! I am fourteen years old and live in Washington State. I homeschool so that I can have more time to focus on what and who I love. Jesus is my all - I would be hopelessly lost without Him. During many early mornings and quiet afternoons, you can find me writing my blog, Beloved Bluebird. My little nook of the internet has been filled with my adventures, faith, creations, and ponderings for over two years now.

What or who inspired you to start a blog?
Back in 2012, my mom and I ran a small online magazine sort of website for my friends. We updated it once a month with crafts and many other features, but I wasn't passionate about it. Shortly after, I switched over to a blog and it eventually grew into a personal/lifestyle blog. I can't pinpoint any certain inspiration to start it, it just sort of came to be.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
Along my journey I've made so many friends and have fallen in love with countless blogs. A few that I take much inspiration from are Deer Circus, Oana Befort, and Field Notes.

What are some of your hobbies?
Oh goodness, I have too many hobbies to keep track of! Simply put, I enjoy anything and everything related to creating + admiring all different forms of art. Adventuring, writing poetry & novels, making short films, watercolour painting, acting, and reading are all things that I love dearly.

On your FAQ page you mentioned that you enjoy acting. Can you tell us your favorite play you've been in so far?
Ah, yes! I do love acting in theater as an occasional hobby. Each play is so unique, from the cast to the experience, but I have to say that my favorite was Peter Pan the musical. My little brother and I both performed in it, and we made quite the collection of splendid memories during rehearsals and performances. There was a great deal of dancing and singing, and a very sizable yet close cast.

What are some of your favorite things about blogging?
It is a blessing to have the opportunity to share what I am passionate about with others. As well as that, I love connecting with other people similar to me all over the world.

The photography on your blog is stunning! Do you have any advice for people who want to improve their photography?
Why, thank you! Personally, I think that a good photo is a compilation of good lighting (typically daylight), an artistic angle (I prefer mostly straight-on shots, leaving a bit of space at the top or side of the picture), and editing. A photo can have the first two aspects, but when you edit the photo well it makes it complete. I often use Photoshop or another editing program to adjust the light, and I also love to use VSCOcam (iPhone app) to give my photos a certain style. However, how you take and edit your photos is all up to you. Never be afraid to try something new or do something differently.

What's the story behind your blog's name?
When I was a little girl, my mom would sing "bluebird, bluebird, through my window" to me when she woke me up in the morning. Because of that (and also my fascination with whistling as a baby), 'Bluebird' became one of my nicknames. When trying to decide on a new blog name, I thought that beloved was a wonderful word for expressing how I am in God's eyes. I paired it with my nickname and thus Beloved Bluebird was born!

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
A great many things! When I was four or five, I wanted to be a children's nurse. However, in Kindergarten and first grade I decided upon becoming a teacher one day. Then when I was eight years old, I spontaneously began writing a short story to enter into American Girl Magazine's story contest. I ended up getting an honorable mention in the magazine, and couldn't stop writing after that. Today, I still dream of being a published author one day.

Do you have any tips for new bloggers?
Yes, I have one tip that I believe to be the most important piece of advice I can give. Be you! It's completely alright to take inspiration from other bloggers, but it is crucial to remember that you were made unique and it should be reflected in your blog. Don't try to be a copy of others. Share what you love, and do what you love.

Thank you dearly for having me, Eve! It has been a pleasure.

~Click here to visit her site~

My New Canon Rebel T3i!

All images unedited.

Well, hi there. So I made a big decision! I decided to buy a Canon Rebel T3i! It arrived today! When did all this come about? 

Well, I have always wanted a DSLR but was concerned that I wouldn't be able to afford one. I had always thought that it was just a little dream of mine that would probably never come true, and I was okay with that. I simply put my wish aside and began telling myself that I have a perfectly fine camera and it was selfish of me for even thinking about spending so much money for myself. 

But something changed all of that. 

One day after I was done babysitting, my mom told me that a photographer had given me money for a camera fund so my little ol' wish could actually come true. I became very determined to earn the money I needed to get a DSLR camera. After forlornly searching the internet for cameras for beginners, I was so confused. Thankfully after watching tons of youtube videos and reading many articles concerning which camera to get, I narrowed it down to a Canon Rebel. I thought I had it all figured out...until I noticed that there were so many different generations to choose from. There's the T2i, T2, T3i, T3, T4i, T4, T5i, T5 and I think there's more too! 

Then I asked for some advice. Thanks to Rachelle and Maiya, I finally decided that the T3i would be the wisest investment. My camera fund slowly grew and grew and before I knew it I had almost enough money to buy it and would have the total amount by Thanksgiving. My mom and I looked at tons of electronic stores and couldn't find it for a decent price. We searched online and thought we found a great deal.

 Sadly, it was all a scam. The seller never sent the camera to us. We tried to contact the seller, but he didn't reply to any of our messages. I was heartbroken. After coming so close to getting it for a good deal and then finding out that it was all a scam was absolutely awful. Luckily, we got a refund and started looking elsewhere for a good price. All my hope was slowly slipping away. I thought that all this happened for a reason, and God had something better in store for me. 

My mom found a great deal this Thanksgiving for the camera online. I woke up at 4 or 5 in the morning and saw that it was officially on sale. It came with two lens, a camera bag, the camera, battery, batter charger, etc. Before it was on sale it was $899. When I bought on sale it was $400 off! I tried to be patient but this week felt like a month as the day of delivery inched closer and closer. Then it came today! Even though I don't really know how to use it yet, it still takes amazing photos! I looovvvee it! All the photos above are unedited so you all can see how well this camera works. I've been taking pictures non-stop today! ;) Thanks for reading!

P.S. I did a vintage photoshoot with my new camera of my sister. Check out her blog to see what it looks like: http://queen-anneslace.blogspot.com/2014/12/phantom-of-operachristines-dress.html