Darkness

This last week's theme was darkness. I've been feeling exceptionally uninspired the past several weeks, but the second I heard the theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I did have to make a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to find a fairly large keyhole and a lantern...which were surprisingly easy to find (and because I'm sure you're wondering, the autumn and Christmas stuff is already out - YAY!). :)
I had a creepy, dark, fairy tale in mind, and as always, I had an awesome six year old to help me out. Funny enough, her "I'm sick of this" look also doubles very well for a psychotic, murderous blonde girl, wandering through the woods with a candle-lit lantern.
My submission for the week:

Darkness

These were a few others I took at the same time, but did not submit:

Now We Are Six

I'm not ready for this, but what choice do I have? Time marches on. My little girl is now 6 years old and perfectly ready to take on the world, thankyouverymuch. My oldest boy is so careful and cautious and checks and rechecks every move he makes day to day. He is not quite ready to spend the night away from home and he very much needs and loves his mom (this momma's not complaining!). Paige, meh...she's good. She is so self-assured and confident. She meets a kid in the park and is immediately best friends, knows her whole life story, and is ready to have a sleepover. Oh, did I mention she's only talked to this "friend" for 45 seconds? She went with me to H&R Block several months ago and made a fast friend in the waiting area (we were only there a full 2 minutes) and she cried and kissed the girl good-bye when we were leaving, hanging on her neck as though I were ripping her away from her soul mate. She's silly and giggly to no end, and has a fashion sense that would put Anna Wintour to shame (if Anna Wintour designed princess costumes). She has figured out that tears will get Daddy to agree to about anything, and she's shockingly good at crying on the spot and then immediately drying up as soon as Daddy gives in (usually about 3 seconds). She is devoted to (extols, venerates, adores, worships - there are not enough words to describe her dedication to) her brothers. I LOVE that about her. She will be their biggest cheerleader and champion in life. So to my darling Paige, Happy Birthday, and to you - a poem I've been waiting six years to use:

AND NOW WE ARE SIX

by A.A. Milne

When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.

Fragile

This past week's theme was fragile. Blargh. Again with the no clue how to proceed. The very first thought I had was the scene from A Christmas Story where the dad gets the leg lamp crate delivered and says, "fra-gee-lay, that must be Italian". Now that I think about it, I probably could have pulled off a pretty funny re-creation of that. But I digress. I wanted something that demonstrated vulnerability and beauty. I also was in the mood to play around with freelensing, which is a technique that only allows for a very small portion of the photo to be in focus. I had several shots to choose from by the time I was finished and this may not seem like the most obvious choice, but the more I looked at it, the more I loved it. I love their connection and sweetness in this photo.