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Friday, February 28, 2014

{Weirdness}

I was out early in the morning wandering when I spied this cluster of eggs in the brown grass. It looks fuzzy; but, it is actually a webbing of some sort holding them together. These were hard to take a picture of as they are mega tiny. I have marked the place with a stake to keep an eye on them.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Random Thursday {Leaning Piles of Fabrics}

Remember that pile of fabrics I posted last Thursday? Well, here they are now!

By the way, this pile is missing some of the larger fabrics I put onto "bolts". It was just too much for one picture. Ha!

These bolts along with many others I have already done will eventually go into a custom built-in cabinet we are planning to build in my room. It will be like going into a fabric store and shopping from my own stash! At least, that is my hope.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wordy Wednesday {Cuckoo}

I walked outside early one afternoon to take a break and wander a bit. I was walking slow and rounded the corner of our house to the driveway when I practically collided with a Roadrunner. I froze and all I could do was silently scream "OMG". He raised his comb a split second later and I silently screamed "OMG" again. He was gorgeous. I felt like I could practically reach out and touch him. It was an amazing encounter.

The roadrunner is part of the Cuckoo family of birds. I certainly felt cuckoo (crazy). When he calmly walked away, I calmly and quickly backed away to fetch my camera from the house.

I had to fight with Gracie because she dashed outside when I opened the door. Much to my disappointment, he was in the neighbor's yard by the time I was back outside with my camera. But, I stalked him and got as close as I could with my long lens.

These are not the greatest pictures in the world due to the fact I was shooting through wire fencing and the brush in the neighbor's back yard; but, it is proof I saw a road runner. I hope that he comes over again someday so that I can get much better pictures.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Macro Monday {First Wildflowers 2014}

I was out back wandering with the cats when I spied a lone pink wildflower. More signs of Spring is coming! These were shot on the same day the audacious fellow visited me.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Winning Love

  • On February 13th, 2013, I was notified that I won a eBook called Kitchen Stitches. The original blog post can be found here Stitch this!. There were 14 winners total with 958 comments (entries). I have downloaded the book which came in PDF format. As soon as my studio is set up, I plan to make a few things from this eBook. I think if they turn out well, they would make great gifts.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Turkey Vulture (First Attempt)

This is my first attempt to capture a turkey vulture flying nearby with my long lens. It certainly is NOT easy! The day was very bright and clear. I am planning to try again in the near future. By the way, I did not think this was a turkey vulture (no red around the head). So, we did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that it must be a juvenile as they lack the red around the head. We are not 100% confident on the identity; but, we are calling it a turkey vulture until told otherwise.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Wordy Wednesday {An Audacious Fellow}

{To see a larger image, go here.}

While outside photographing some things, this mockingbird mocked my efforts! Actually, he is just a friendly pest. He was probably no further than 20 feet away. It surprised me that he would land so close to me. He has become so trusting and I am not sure if that is wise due to the fact my cats are often outside with me. In fact, Gracie was nearby trying to photo bomb some of my pictures as she wanted attention.

This was taken on February 9, 2014 with the macro lens. Yes, the macro lens! When I quickly set up the camera and snapped the picture, A thought crossed my mind that the picture was going to look grainy. But, when I opened up the RAW format, it looked good to me. It was a foggy and cloudy morning which gave the effect in the background.

Here is an extreme crop of the audacious fellow!

Monday, February 17, 2014

Macro Monday {Frozen Bluebonnet Plants}

{To see a larger image, go here.}

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{To see a larger image, go here.}

All the above were taken on January 25, 2014.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Frozen {Again}

On February 7, 2014, I got up around 7:00am and checked outside as usual. There was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a very cold world though - below freezing.

I check the weather again around 10:00 and noticed it was drizzling. There was a fog forming. Still no ice even though it was below freezing.

And then, just before noon - I checked the weather once again and the temperature had DROPPED. I also noticed one lone icicle had formed from the mist/drizzle/rain. I put on my coat and went outside and nearly froze to death. But, I had to take a picture before dashing back indoors.

I checked the weather again around 3:00pm and much to my surprise, the lone icicle tripled!

I also noticed a cool piece of ice formed on a discarded piece of flooring. Water was dripping down from an icicle on the the roof creating a stalagmite like formation.

With this said, I am tired of the cold. It rarely gets below freezing down here and yet, it has at least three different times! And, it went below on the night of February 11th! Sheesh. I believe this is our April -- spring is trying to come and yet, winter does not want to go.

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Meadowlarks are Back!

{To see a larger image, go here.}

Taken with my long lens on February 5, 2014. These birds have excellent camouflage in the fields. You would not even know they are there unless you spy movement.

P.S. Can you spot wildflowers in the background? Shocking! I know! Ha!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Wordy Wednesday (Got OCD?)

The flooring we bought comes in all kinds different lengths. It is unbelievable how many different lengths exist. I tried for awhile to just eyeball what we need and grab a board here and there and try it out for size. This eventually drove me batty. So, while Dan was working on putting down a portion of the flooring inside the closet, I organized the remaining boards.

Can You Say OCD?

Once they were all lined up and organized by lengths, I was a much happier camper. From hereon, I used the measuring tape and eyeballed about what length the next board should be as we do not want the joints to be close together. I would then go and grab the board that was closest to the length I wanted and drop it down in place. When the supply got low, I would open up another box and add more boards to the lineup.

Dan laughed when I started my madness (of organizing and lining up the boards); but, he noticed my new method of laying down the flooring was much quicker than before. So, I think, in the end, he approved of my madness.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Macro Monday (Baby Rubber Duckies)

I am surprised at how well they turned out considering I took these in a hurry at a baby shower I attended recently. I did not use a flash and tripod – it was all under florescent lighting – one of the worst kind of lighting to use. The items (party favors) were no bigger than 1-3/4 inches (according to the description on Amazon). I actually rested the lens on the kitchen island to stabilize the camera. I have always been a sucker for rubber duckies and these were just too cute.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

A Baby Shower {Random Pictures}

Warning: Picture laden post! I could not pick and choose from my favorites. So, this is a picture dump!

My youngest niece and goddaughter is having a second baby, a boy. In fact, he entered the world on February 3rd. I can hardly wait to see the newest little one.

In the meantime, here are some random pictures taken at a baby shower that took place on January 18, 2014. The older kids did not stick around the adults much; so, I do not have any pictures of them. Keep in mind that these are not professional quality pictures; but, candid snapshots. Enjoy!

These two seem to be having a serious somber conversation.

She was SO ready to have this baby!

The below pictures were taken by Dan when the party moved outside. It was mid afternoon and the light (sun) was harsh. These are awesome and I still have a lot to learn because none of the ones I took outside were even good. By the way, these were the only pictures Dan took as he did not take any indoors.

Note: I love this (above) one. I do not know exactly why; but, I do.