Homestead Photography Challenge

I'm so glad @knowledge-seeker has created this #homesteadphotography challenge.

I use photography as a way to slow down, take a step back, look for the beauty that is already surrounding me and be present in the moment. I have a very bad tendency of racing around, a slave to my to-do list, a slave to productivity, even though it is 100% against my beliefs.

I believe in a simple life, a natural one, being present in the moment. My baby will never be 1 year, 10 months, and 3 days old again. Every day he changes - has a new favorite toy, or a new words, or invents a new game with us. I don't want to forget these moments.

When he was a baby and could barely see, his room was decorated in a woodland theme. There was a decal of a squirrel riding a turtle next to his changing table. Once his eyesight had developed enough that he could see it, he would point and laugh at that squirrel and turtle every time I changed his diaper. As the months went on, he moved onto laughing at something else and I honestly forgot about his first friends - the squirrel and turtle. Luckily, I found a video on my phone of him giggling and it all came back to me.

That's why photography has become so important to me. To live in the moment, appreciate the space that I'm in right now, and to remember the little things.

This week's theme is landscape. I love this picture of Farmer Jack surveying his field. When the weather was warmer, we made a habit of walking through our back field once a day. He loved running up and down the hills, and I loved looking for the sign of deer and turkey and just simply being outside without an agenda.

It's the dead of winter here and the temp is in single digits. Next week, however, it should warm up again and we'll resume our daily walks.

Until then, happy homesteading!