Life on a Tuesday!

Today I saved the world from utter destruction!!!

Okay, not really...in fact I didn't even get any laundry done (didn't do any Monday either, yikes)!

I did get to the grocery shopping though, which was much needed.

I had an overwhelming urge to reach out to a stranger this morning before I got my day going.
The feeling was so strong that I felt like if I didn't do it things would just be wrong and off...

...and my heart wouldn't be right.
Did you ever feel that way??
Did you act on it, or just let the feeling drift off??

So, I made a flying leap and put myself out there, in hopes that what I had to say would be taken the way I typed it.
Hee hee, it was an online, internet leap!

Let me tell you something, it was the perfect right thing to do today!

I want to encourage you to take chances and make leaps and do what your heart is leading you to do....especially if it is a good and Godly thing.

Then, you get to feel like I have all day.
Extra happy with a full out look at your purpose beyond just laundry and groceries and chores, and the daily grind!
Ha ha ha, I know that little above list doesn't apply to everyone, but you get my drift!

And now on to the photo of the day portion of the show.

I wasn't sure if a photo opportunity was going to present itself today so I took this shot of myself in my laugh earrings!!

I dig laughing!

But then, I went out to do my shopping and remembered that my coffee store was changing the logo just for me today!
So, I headed over to get my first newly designed, cup full of joe!!
The young fellow working today was kind enough to let me take a photo of this experience for you!

Mmmmm, coffee! I dig coffee too!

Guess what came in the mail today????
Yes, my friends the first issue of my Food Network Magazine!
That means a recipe is on the horizon, can you smell the anticipation??

Well of course you can't, silly!!!

Monday!

Super fast...here we go!

Our pond was overtaken by tendrils of slime so we evacuated the fish and are cleaning it all out to start fresh!!
We think between the frozen and slimy plant life and the decomposing leaves, the pond just had no chance. We will do better next winter now that we know more.

Oh....
a moment of silence for the plecostomus which was found while cleaning the pond.




(ick!) I am sure he had a great life, while it lasted.

Anyway the fish are back in thier bucket for a few days until we get the water back in the pond and righted!! They are none to happy, let me tell ya!


The snails however seem happy!
Though their numbers are greatly decreased, I did save lots of tiny tiny babies!!

They are in a separate bowl, not pictured here.
Oh boy, I must hurry! Supper must be made.

I went to Lowe's today and got some color for the front yard!!
Do you know there are mostly purples and pinks out right now? That just doesn't suit me, so I had to really search to find oranges and reds.






I also got a little ahead of the game and chose a few tomatoes and peppers!!!!
So very excited about this new project!




Oh, and just for fun...

an onion update!!!
AHHH ha ha ha!
Gotta run!
See ya tomorrow!

Quick Sunday photos

Whoa! Another long and harried day.

But I do have 2 photos for you real quick, then I am off to crash again!
I attended a bridal shower today and these gorgeous flowers were there, they caught my eye...even more than the array of delectable cookies!



And, here is our (poor) Shelby girl. My children wanted her to join in the Mardi Gras festivities that we partook of with our neighbors.

One strand quickly became two and were still on her patient rolly polly neck when I returned 2.5 hours later!!
She wears it well.

More tomorrow!
Goodnight.

mulch day

Uuuuugggghhhhh, I know it is late for posting but I have been super busy today and am just now getting to the computer.
So...have no expectations of a well written well thought out entry today. It is a do and be done type of day.

We had mulch delivered and set about to fill our beds.
Have you ever laid mulch?
Yeah, me neither.
It is a stinkin' lot of work!!!
My boys were helping and I certainly was not gonna let them out work me, so I started early and stayed late!

Someone is gonna have to haul me out of bed in the morning!
I took this shot before I started working. My son had laid the shovel on the tree and was taking a break to retie his shoes.


And I may have gotten distracted by my neighbors cat...before I got working.


But I did get to work soon, really I did. I was determined not just to be a photographer/supervisor today.

Though, I will admit I did heed progress quite a bit as I found interesting things to shoot.
Like this little orange bug hanging out on the azaleas.

Now, I know you can't tell he is orange, you will just have to trust me. He was! Orange and silver! I wouldn't make this up.

I also took the time to weed my herb garden, and boy oh boy did it need it.
I took before and after pictures, they were lame!
So you get a shot of my baby cilantro that got moved to a better location!

I hope he likes it there!

My husband spent the better part of the afternoon building a planter type box for part of our veggie garden. He calls this one the tomato box!!
I love tomatoes and am excited to get 'em in the ground and growing!!
I took quite a few pictures of him working...he growled at me a bit for that....so I took this one on the sly.
You know, of my rosemary!!!

He is such a hard working fellow, but I want to be respectful of him not wanting his picture all over the place!
I am now going to unfold my body from a sitting position, somehow make it down the stairs and fall into bed.
uuugggghhhh!

Ducks at the park

I have been chatting with God quite a bit recently about what He wants me to do with this camera and my developing skills.

Kinda like..
...oh, putting a bug in his ear that I want something to come of it.
I don't have a prayer more specific than that right now.
I know I want to touch people, and I know that I want to be creative.
I have a feeling if I talk to God about it long enough he will work something out for me.
I am not in any big rush, just thinking ahead.

So, until I feel pulled in a specific direction...I am gonna just keep on shooting pictures!!

Today was a hum-drum overcast dreary day, which makes me think that maybe I should have set my ISO higher, but it is too late for that now.

Wait a minute, you have no idea what I am talking about yet.
Forgive me, my mind races ahead!
I threw my camera in my van with me today when I headed out to run some errands, desperately hoping for something other than my dog or lemons to photograph.

I stopped at a local park hoping to shoot some flowers or playground equipment!
When I arrived there was a little girl there gleefully feeding the ducks.

I quickly got down on the grass and started trying to catch the action without getting the girl.

Ahhhhh ha ha ha, I couldn't help but think about the face of a dog on the bill of a duck post from awhile back. Do you see it?? The pointy puppy ears and little black doggy nose?

I soon realized the fun of the shot was not the flurry of ducks, but the joy that the girl had while feeding them.
That was what needed to be captured!
So, I motioned to the mom who was just a little ways off, asking in mom sign language if I could take a picture of her girl.
She signaled back a hearty yes.

I was so excited because that freed me up for so much more.


This precious doll was fearlessly feeding an unbelievable number of ducks tidbits of bread with wild abandon.


She figured out that with just a few nibbles she could have them following her every move!

She walked away, with purpose...ducks in hot pursuit of whatever she would bestow.




Oh my...just look at the following she has as she runs off, tossing the last little bite!



I really like these next two!


She is just on the verge of being a big girl, but still has her cute toddler chubbiness as well.


Ohhhhhh, where did my babies go?
My tall lanky girl doesn't have a single bit of that little girl look any more!

Ahhhhh, is this adorable or what???

Something caught her by surprise, because I can tell you right now, it wasn't fear!
She was one gutsy little girl out there with all those greedy ducks!

I was so thankful to this sweet Momma who let me take pictures of her spunky child!
I learned a lot today as I gently followed her around, trying to capture her personality.
I do wish the light would have been better, or that I had done a better job at harnessing the light.
That's okay...maybe next time!

You know what I like very best about all of these pictures?
This was the middle child!
I mean, come on...how often does a middle child get to have their very own "photo shoot", sans siblings?!?

What a face!!!

Thanks again to this Mom of three who let me play with her girl, and this sweet little darlin' who will be grown before her momma knows it!!!

Starting today, we will have color Thursdays!

I need guidelines

parameters

boxes to fill

specific goals to achieve.

So, since color is such a part of my existence and today is Thursday, this feels like a good fit!

My oldest child suggested black, so here you have it.

This will be a good challenge I think!

It is rather difficult to arrange and shoot in an interesting way things of the same color.
This is one of 12, and I am not thrilled with it.

Yes, I do believe this will cause some stress and growth in my photo life!!
That is good.


Oh...I took this yesterday.



I did not like it straight out of camera, but messed with it a bit and feel better about it now.

So interesting what a computer program will do to an image.


Our new trees are supposed to arrive today!!

Fodder!!!!
Whoa...gotta get!

Things you will not find on my blog... a list!
1. Profanity!

Okay really that is all I wanted to say.
I have been blog scanning recently looking for blogs about cooking and photography to help me achieve more knowledge, and have come across so many with language not suitable for a lady!
I just want to say you will never, ever have to worry about that here!
I had that on my mind, now it is not.


I took my camera with me on my walk this morning.

It isn't especially easy to wrangle a dog and take good photos!


I feel like I took a lot of pictures today, but so many of them were just not how I imagined they would be.

I finally got to the point where this one looked like it was gonna be "the" picture of the day, but decided not to give up quite so easily!





I have been admiring this particular tree on my street for some days now.
I knew taking a picture this time of day was just not going to do it any justice but I did it anyway and then had the audacity to be disappointed.


It is just covered with delicate lavender flowers, and is quite breathtaking when the sun strikes it.



I decided that I would mess around with the colors and contrast for fun and came up with this.


Sigh!
At least it is visually interesting.

I must leave off quickly. I promised my middle child I would fix him homemade tomato soup for supper before he heads off for soccer practice!

later!