Workshop Announcement
and
A birthday.





If you know Emma,
you know she can sleep.





In the car,
On a train,
on a bus,
on a plane.


She IS sleeping beauty.





Emma is thoughtful.


She shares things with me. Important things.


"The seemingly insignificant acts of daily life are the tests of eternity,
because they prove what spirit possesses us."

~andrew murray






She makes me laugh.
I make her laugh.

She laughs at me.
Not so much the other way around.





It's her 22nd birthday and I am thinking about her today.
I couldn't be more proud of her...in the humblest way.


I love you Emma!
Happy Birthday!


*********






Alrighty! I have finally chosen the dates for the Wisconsin workshops!
Drop me an email if you want to sign up!

(The June 25 workshop is filling quickly already.)


UPDATE: June 25 FULL
Few more spots available for MAY 21
(10:42am)



****

Who will go home on Idol tonight. Two people!
I voted like crazy last night. 20 votes for talented Casey.

What do you think?


See you in the comments!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Guess what I'm doing?


I am giving a workshop in Maryland in one month from today!
Yup.

Katie and I are gettin' on a plane and taking the show on the road.

I didn't want to do it.
I had lots of reasons why it would not work. Lots of 'em.
But my friend Angie S. was calm and persistent. Angie came to my workshop last June with her good friend
Jessica. They flew here to Wisconsin all the way from Maryland and ever since Angie has been wishing she could share
the workshop with her friends out East. (Angie is a good friend.) So I inboxed all my worries to her,
and she made them all go away. So to keep the workshop cost from skyrocketing, Katie and I will stay
with Angie. (Really none of this could happen without the hospitality of Angie and her hubby. Thank you sweet girl....and I say girl cause Angie could be my child. Youngin's I tell ya. Jess and Angie are babies...both having babies....)

It was hard to decide if I should bring Katie or not, but in the long run Katie really is the best little model I know and
I am completely comfortable bossing her around. (I also think people like meeting her cause they have seen her so much on my blog. I don't know if this is true....but I tell myself it is.)

So this accidental business woman/workshop giver is spreading her timid little wings.
Pretty amazing, huh?





I will also be announcing my 2011 Workshops for the Inspired Beginner tomorrow or Friday.
(Madison, Wisconsin) In the past, the workshops have sold out in less than an hour on that first day so if you are interested
this is your heads up. (Only six attendees at each workshop)

I will email the information before hand to all of the people who have sent me emails. ( booshay6@charter.net )
Then (@ 12 hours later) I will post the announcement on my blog, on the workshop blog, and on Facebook.
Your payment saves your spot.

One other thing...if you are more than a mom with a camera....someone who is in the biz or planning
on being in the biz sometime soon, you must live at least 75 miles away from Madison.


I look forward to meeting and teaching and encouraging and mentoring (and feeding :o) ) more lovely women this year
at my Workshop for the Inspired Beginner.

And now my tummy is all a-flutter!






In case you want to read more about what my workshops...

Workshops for the Inspired Beginner with Donna Boucher



Now...go make something with Nutella....everybody's doing it.


Encourage one another,
Donna

As the last day of March draws near,
I thought it was the perfect time to share this poem.

NOT.

The perfect time would have been the day after it snowed in March, but
I just heard this poem last night for the first time. Katie is learning it for her class.
She recited the first stanza to me.

I loved it right away.

Lament

How thoughtless of March
To have brought us more snow.
We distinctly asked for the sun.
And the wind! How rude
Of those gales to intrude
Who requested the wind? No one.

Now, did anyone sigh
For this dreary gray sky?
Or implore the snow to remain?
Who ordered the border of puddles
And mud,
And this dismalish drizzle of rain?

Have you heard from April?
From flower or bird?
Is she coming at all?
Has anyone heard?

News. Send us news.
From petal or wing.
Where in the Universe,
Where is Spring?

~Claire Boiko

*****


It is in our most unguarded moments that we truly show who we are and what we are made of.

~Andrew Murray


And how we look.
~me






****




I took this horribly exposed picture.
Then I edited it to try to hide the bad photography.

The point is that Matthew and Emma have hair about the same length.
Matthew had a crew cut for most of his life and then he decided he didn't like going to the barber.
I think it makes him uncomfortable.

And so.

He is being uncharacteristically cheesy in this shot.
Actin' like a model. So not him.
You can see what Emma thinks of this.



******





Melinda calls him Buddy.
The waiter called him Princess.

I call him honey.




Encourage one another,
Donna

It is a solemn thought that our love for God is measured
by our everyday relationships with others.

~Andrew Murray
Humility

ht Emma





The important thing about babies is

you feed them.





green peas...






and with laughter and words.





Lots of attention,
















And a thousand sweet kisses.



















Beloved.





And that is how we spent our time away.


A thousand sweet kisses.


Encourage one another,
Donna

We had a perfectly lovely visit...






Somebody's got two toofers.


Much more tomorrow....but I had to share this right away.

Love ya!

Donna

Asher.
Beautiful boy.





Boys are found everywhere -- on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.
Alan Marshall Beck




I can't think of anything as wonderful as little boys...
well....except little girls.




The following song was popular in 1980, the year we were married.
John Lennon was shot just days after we were married.
You remember these things.




John Lennon.
Beautiful boy.


Katie, Emma and I are going to see Asher...and his parents :o)
I may not be able to post for a day or two...but I can manage to work the Facebook and the twitter from my phone so if you are missing us, check in over there.

So very excited :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Hey! Look what I found.
Here is a picture from the last time I photographed yesterday's family.
It was a cool sunny day in Oct. 2008





I am in 6th place in my March Madness Pool.
This picture is my tribute to basketball.






She's so little!




Me and Emma.
Love that baby girl.





Dear Friends who live in places where the sun does not shine,

This one's for you.

Love,
Donna

(these pictures were all taken in Oct 2008 with my Nikon D80. Except the old picture.)




Whatever the weather,
it's a beautiful day inside my heart.
~Donna Boucher



Encourage one another,
Donna

Sneak Peek!

On Saturday I was delighted to see this darling family again!
A few years ago we spent a fun morning at the zoo together taking pictures of
their little guy. I rode the little red train. It was pretty darn fun and a great memory.

Just six weeks ago they had a little girl.
S.H. is so strong and quick already. Holding her head up and rolling over.
My goodness. She is Super Baby :o)













Argh!!!



We wore her out with the outfit changes and posing :o)




The dad's expression (although subtle) in the picture makes it for me. Emotional.



I am very fond of this moment in time.



Beautiful, peaceful momma.



Thank you for choosing me, A and D.
I hope you love your pictures :o)


*****


Emma's home.






She's so pretty.

****


Dancing With The Stars.
Quick Step Version


Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Loved them!
Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff: Like Astaire with lots a hair
Hines Ward and Kym Johnson: Cute couple with talent.
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas: Poor girl needs a new hairdresser
Romeo and Chelsie Hightower: Awkward
Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Asmtel: Nice feet. Strange posture.
Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke: Can you say, Gaston?
Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya: Not good.
Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin: Very graceful.
Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani: Horrible.
Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer: Cute face. Bowl-legged and pigeon toed.


My top three will be the top three.
Again I am totally surprised and thrilled.


Since I am not watching the NEWS anymore....I have plenty of time to watch this fun show.

I think they should offer money to charities to draw more 'stars'.

I want Ted Danson to do this...and maybe even John Travolta would do it then.
I have a hunch John will show up this year to cheer on Kirstie....perhaps he will get the bug.

Does anyone else remember Ted Danson dancing in Body Heat?
I always remember the dancers.


Kevin Costner danced in all of his first movies...then he stopped dancing and lost his movie mojo.
(Fandango, Bull Durham, Dances with Wolves) It's just a crazy theory of mine.

And because it's my favorite dance that most people don't know...I'm gonna show it again...




(pay special attention to sec :52. Thanks)


Thanks for being here.

Encourage one another,
Donna

I have been sitting here and googling and trying to write something...
not depressing.

I have been trying to pick out pictures to show you and quotes to share.

Just now I looked back to March 21, 2004.

Here is what I found.



Rejoicing in Your Work

O Lord, renew our spirits and draw our hearts unto Yourself,
that our work may not be to us a burden but a delight;
and give us such a mighty love to You as may sweeten our obedience.
O let us not serve You with the spirit of bondage as slaves,
but with cheerfulness and gladness, delighting in You and rejoicing in Your work.
-Benjamin Jenks




That's a good one. I'm all for cheerfulness, gladness and delighting in the Lord.


I am feeling overwhelmed by the despair and war and scary things going on in our world.
I feel helpless and don't know what to do.


Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee;
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.
-St. Theresa of Avila



These old words always help.


**

Emma is home and is now awake and making noise in the kitchen.
We will have a great time together.

I think we will talk about how crazy life is....
How wonderful and awful and lovely and scary life is. It just makes my head spin.

Emma is a solid soul. With her, it is always good to talk. :o)


Thank you
Thank you
Thank you


Encourage one another,
Donna

March


A blue day.
A blue jay,
and a good beginning.

One crow,
melting snow---
Spring's winning!



~ Elizabeth Coatsworth
thanks jep


****




Just about a year ago I went to listen to Stephanie sing.





Sitting and listening to Stephanie is pure joy.

Stephanie's Webpage

****



March comes along and I am reminded of the day I bought my Nikon D80. The year was 2007.
Three weeks after buying it we went to Paris with Emma and two of her friends.

This was a picture of the Louve the night we arrived in Paris.
It was a Friday night. It was a free night for young people.

I will have to go and find the rest of those pictures to show you some of the art we saw.
I'll do that another day tho, I've gotta get going.

I have to get ready for the family photoshoot I have this morning.

Wish me luck...and light and a happy baby. :o)


I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Encourage one another,
Donna

A little bit of this,
A little bit of that....

March Madness.
I filled out my brackets for the basketball games...
I will brag today, for tomorrow I will probably go down in flames.

I am 13 for 16.

Thank you very much.


****

Karen R. from idol was my favorite on Wednesday night.
She was kicked off last night.

Yes. What I am hearing is different than what the judges are hearing.


******

Selling New York might need to change the name of their show to New York Realtors Trying to Make Sales.


******



Sometimes the best chance of getting eye contact with a little child is when....they are eating.


*****




Some pictures you just go back to again and again...and they always look wonderful, no matter how you edit them.


****

My email friend and editor acquaintance, Julie Mazur, sent me a wonderful book in the mail last week.

It is all about photographing your baby's first year!







Your Baby in Pictures by Me Ra Koh


I think you will love her. Me Ra Koh Video


The book is very thorough and has so many fantastic ideas. I think lots of new moms would
adore this book.


*****


Happy Friday Friends

Love you lots,
Donna

Making due.


Make do.


Help. Which is it?

I'm sure I have never written about making do because I don't even know how to spell it or where that term comes from.

Okay. I just looked it up and it is make do.

BUT, I make do all the time and the results are what make me, me.
I make do in the kitchen. What I have on hand determines what we will eat.
I try to be a good shopper and planner, but sometimes it's a make do night.
Last night for dinner we had scrambled eggs and toast and ham. It was a satisfying meal.
We made do.





Often, and I mean often, I have to make do with my locations.
This is one reason for so many close ups.

Greasy hair = a crop.
Cluttered background= crop
Baby needing to be held=crop


And as far as lenses go.
I make do.

I don't have a macro nor do I have a telephoto and for the first year of owning a DSLR all I had was a 50 mm 1.8.
I learned so much using just that one lens. It forced me to be creative and learn the basics.







and rotten weather gave me the opportunity to find my gorgeous garage light.




and a picture that just doesn't have much going for it,
gave me eyes to see.




Then there are clothes and shoes.

I honestly hope no one is watching or keeping track of my wardrobe.
I wear the same shirts for years. YEARS.
And I always wear a black skirt or black pants.


Just yesterday, Katie made do and bought a size 5 t-shirt.
Yes, the girl is eleven, but we went to Target after school because she was told they
could wear St. Patrick's Day graphic tees to school. For Katie, this is just the best news.
So we went to Target and almost every St. Patty's Day tee was gone.

Except some purple ones that she didn't care for and a teeny little Mickey Mouse/Rainbow/Pot O' gold tee that said,
Lucky Me. We liked it. We bought it and Katie wore it to school with a tank underneath it to make sure her tummy
was completely covered at all times.



Life is messy.
Sometimes making do is the perfect answer.


Encourage one another,
Donna