finding YOUR joy

joy.

January 7, 2011 By kelly mcmahon willette

we found a TON of joy this holiday season in our onslaught of holiday cards. one of my favorite parts about this time of year is getting cards and seeing how everyone’s children and families have grown.

here is a little snippet of the “joy” we found in our mailbox this season.

Filed Under: Blog, finding HOLIDAY joy, finding the joy 2010, finding YOUR joy, joy of love

finding YOUR joy…..starts tomorrow!

September 6, 2010 By Kelly

Pin it

woo hoo! i have had SO much fun getting ready for finding YOUR joy! the joy begins tomorrow (though, if you’re in the class, i just uploaded the week’s lessons and tutorials….surprise!).

there is still time to register and join! Visit here to sign up and find YOUR joy!!!!!!! we have an awesome group of gals who come from all different skill levels and photography interests.

this is the perfect opportunity to bust out your camera and capture your OWN beauty!

class topics include:

how to achieve a self-portrait
touching up photos in photoshop
photographing women (angles and body positioning)
capturing your portrait with your children
documenting your daily routine in photos
photoshop and elements tutorials (video)
videos on how-to use the camera

come join us!!!!

Filed Under: Blog, finding the joy 2010, finding YOUR joy Tagged With: self-portrait

willette ten spot

August 28, 2010 By Kelly

Pin it

hola!

it is a GORGEOUS weekend here in Virginia! one week of school under our belt….i feel like a changed woman with only one child at home during the day now.

here is this week’s willette 10 spot:

1. just scored this AWESOME vintage camera on ebay (for $9!!!). I’ll be kickin’ it old school here in a few days once it arrives!

credit for this photo goes to John Kratz on flickr.

2. Pulled out an old favorite CD yesterday. Whiskeytown’s album Strangers Almanac. I first started listening to this around the same time i met my husband (cannot believe that we’ve been seeing each other for 13 years/married for over 11…our first date was august 27, 1997 at O’Sullivan’s Wharf in Norfolk!).

3. i’m ALL over weather.com tracking all the hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic. Yes, HUGE weather nut here. We may get a little (weather) action next weekend!!!!

4. i pulled out my 85mm 1.4 lens this week for a session and to take some photos of baby girl….ummmm…..i’m in love with it. forgot what a great lens this is. i just wish it weren’t so heavy! Here are a few i snapped yesterday (the highchair was facing the window so the baby faced the light source or she was at a 45 degree angle from the light depending on the direction she faced…and yes, i purposefully positioned my highchair to be next to the window….i am beginning to regret this as she is learning to fling food onto the shantung silk drapes).

5. I’m really excited about what angie warren has up her sleeve with her FLY photography class. Sign up for more details. sounds like just the kick in the pants i need!!!!!

6. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 premiers September 17, 2010, for all you star wars mommas. We’re thinking about hosting a little premier party for max and a few of his buddies. Here are some star wars premier party ideas and some cool free downloads for your party.

7. i struggle daily with clutter. so i welcome ANY resources and tools to help me conquer this problem. i recently was excited to learn about this organizing your way blog.

8. I’ll be printing all of my photos for the month of august the beginning of next week…then will be placing them in albums.

9. Did you know that you can get an email in your inbox that will update you to all the sweet new willette blog posts? all you have to do is enter your enter your email address here. you’ll never have to wonder when/if i update my blog. Or, you can subscribe via RSS.

10. i’ll be taking the next week off (for the most part) from the blog as i enjoy my time with baby girl and as i get ready for finding YOUR joy. have you signed up yet???? the joy begins september 7th!!!!!

Filed Under: Blog, finding YOUR joy, the willettes Tagged With: angie warren, finding your joy, star wars

willette 10 spot

August 14, 2010 By Kelly

Pin it

I don’t believe that you’re supposed to blog on an empty stomach….which became apparent to me as I compiled this list.

What’s happening in willette world right now:

We are working VERY hard on my son’s Lego Death Star which he received as his birthday gift this year (he turned seven in June). We started it then took a break (max made a big mistake early on in the initial construction, so we started fresh yesterday. QUITE the project (but I LOVE building with legos, so it has been fun to give him some much needed one on one attention).
Listening to the Squirrel Nut Zippers (the Perennial Favorites album). Been listening to them since college…..LOVE everything about their sound.
I recently discovered Plum Organics baby food. Though I make most of baby girl’s food, I do keep a stash for the days that I feeling lazy or when we’re going out and I need to pack food for her.
Totally excited to serve these meatballs with spaghetti for dinner! I would LOVE to make these from scratch, but time is a luxury these days. For those of you who DO love to cook…..i LOVE the Barefoot Contessa meatball recipe. Best ever.
I cannot wait to start the Finding YOUR joy class! Have you signed up yet? Teaching puts me RIGHT back into my element…so awesome to share my passion with you.
School starts in one week for us….i have a back to school post lined up this week for you guys looking for some ideas for your back to school photos.
I recently discovered the joy of running (I started june 10 of this year, and i have only missed running my daily two miles twice since then….this is a HUGE feat for me). I didn’t start out at two miles, but worked up to it via an online free tool called 3 weeks to run 30 minutes. i’m so thankful to have found this resource….it totally encouraged and motivated me.
To keep track of my runs, I installed an app on my phone called mapmyrun. LOVE it!
My son dropped his iPod Touch on a ceramic floor this week. Complete and utter devastation for this little boy. We found a dude who does mobile iPod/iPad/iPhone repair…he met us up at Starbucks and after his quick repair, the iTouch is as good as new!
AND, for those of you who have been following this blog….the sleep training has been going well….she slept in her bed for all naps AND for the past three nights! Phew…..very hard, but so glad to be nearly there!

AND…..please be sure to enter the EYES challenge that was posted Tuesday…..one lucky winner will receive a FREE spot in the Finding YOUR joy class! Next week’s challenge will be posted this Tuesday (and we have an awesome prize for one winner from minted.com). The entries are so much fun to check out….be sure to take a peek!

Filed Under: Blog, finding YOUR joy, the willettes, willette 10 spot

are you ready for finding YOUR joy????

August 13, 2010 By Kelly

Pin it

come play with me this september!!!!!

When you really look at all the photos you have of your family, how many photos are there of YOU? I discovered after printing my family photos for the year, that I was only in a handful of photos out of over 1000 photos. Finding YOUR joy is my personal quest to better document my own life (and my quest to help you do the same). I would hate for my children to see all of our family photos and wonder where I was (when in actuality I was there…I was just behind the camera). This three week online e-journey will help you explore how to capture your own life in photos and how to escape from always being behind the camera.

Class begins September 7, 2010, and the lessons are emailed once a week and are presented on a private class forum website. Along with weekly lessons are free template downloads, video tutorials and photoshop and photoshop elements video tutorials. The class is a do-it-at-your-own-pace class….you can download the materials and do them later. Along with the forum is an on-line photo gallery to share your assignments (but sharing is not a requirement).

The class fee is $45. To register visit here. To learn more, and to find out about willette’s wildly successful Finding the Joy (upon which this mini class is designed) visit here. Please note that no discounts may be used for this or any workshops.

Class recommended materials are: