A Week in Pictures (#11)

Christmas Lights (outdoors) 11/30/2012

We put up Christmas lights for the first time in years. It is not much; but, it is a start. Next year will be more as I hope to buy some outdoor lights on sale after Christmas.

Source: iheartfaces.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

From here on, I am doing the

i heart faces: {1 Photo – 32 Days} December Photo Challenge.

I am not actively participating in the challenge itself by posting to other forums such as instagram, twitter (with hashtag, #iHeartFaces), flicker, blogs and more. I am just taking a picture of the day and sharing them via post(s) on my blog.

Me (Introduce Yourself) 12/1/2012

{To see a larger image, go here}

I am a wannabe DIYer; but, in reality, Dan does most of the hard work while I just have the vision. I am actually scared of power tools; so, I will only use them when he is around. On this day, Dan was working on putting up the new casings around the doors. He needed three hands; so, he asked me to help. He gave me the nail gun and showed me where to shoot it on the casing. The first time I hit the trigger, the air coming off of it blew in my face and I let out a tiny scream. It scared me to death. Well, not really seeing that I am still alive. Ha! I kept on using that sucker until all side casings were up. I actually had fun in spite of being terrified!

Dan knew I needed to come up with a new picture of me and he suggested the idea of me using the nail gun. I loved the idea and set the camera and tripod up. I had Dan push the trigger (on the camera) since he was readily available. In the end (the last shot and above picture), we went for the real thing because all the other pictures looked fake. I told Dan I would fire on three. He pressed the shutter on three and this is the result. I was actually trying to smile and keep my eyes open; but, holy crap. That gun scares the bejabbers out of me. The picture of me actually makes me laugh!

By the way, if you are new here, you can go to my About Me page. My life is still in chaos; but, it is happy chaos at the moment. My sewing and cutting table is still at the furniture shop. So, I haven’t done any sewing lately. It is just as well considering that room is a disaster and still needs to be unpacked. I am slowly unpacking; but, it is taking time because I am determined to put the fabrics onto “bolts”. It does not help that I am “unfocused”. I’d start a task and then remember to do something else only to return to the original task two hours later. Dan can testify to this problem of mine if you ask him. Ha!

Elf 12/2/2012

This is a childhood beaded craft Christmas ornament. My mother had us kids make a lot of beaded ornaments while growing up. I do not know which one of us made this particular one – most likely all three of my older brothers each made one (there are three of these total) as sticking pins in a plastic doll is a tough thing to do. The red felt like texture on the doll has faded and discolored throughout the years. However, it is still a darling little ornament.

What You’re Reading 12/3/2012

In Every Flower by Patti Hill. Third in the Garden Gates series. Christian Fiction.

I bought the first three books of this series on an extreme clearance. All three are okay reads. I just recently read this quote from this particular book and it made me chuckle.

She spoke over her shoulder. “I have a new theory about global warming, and I’m dead serious about this, so don’t you go pooh-pooh-ing it. You know, don’t you, that there are 40 million baby boomer women in America, all being taken off their estrogen at the same time? Every room I walk into shoots up thirty degrees. Now think of 40 million women hot flashin’. I know I’m right. Get yourself somethin’ to drink, sugar, while I cool down a bit.”

Shadow Play 12/4/2012

This idea is not unique in itself. This is one shot, one picture, taken on a timer. I had to wait until after 3:30 p.m. because it was raining and cloudy most of the day. The sun finally came out and I was glad because I did not know what else I would have done. I do not think I will ever do this again with cats as they are very uncooperative subjects. I also do not think I will ever do something like this again which requires some heavy editing of the photo itself. However, I am very pleased with the result. It is not perfect; but, I am satisfied. It will do.

Someone I Love 12/5/2012

This is my Grandmother, Viola Mae. I love her very much.

I had a really hard time with this category. I love my Dan; but, he is away at work during the day and he is not a very cooperative subject (I think he does not like getting his picture taken). I love all my brothers. I love my nieces and nephews and all their children. I adore many of my cousins and enjoy seeing their children grow up virtually. However, these people are not readily available for me to take pictures. Plus, I am not comfortable posting pictures of people (besides Dan and me) on this blog.

I love my mother and my dad. I wanted to take a picture of a favorite picture of them together; but, I do not have one printed yet. I am planning to get one printed and hang it out up the wall in the hallway along with my Gram.

The above picture will have to do.

Burst of Red: Wide Angle lens 12/6/2012

{To see a larger image, go here}

This was my toughest challenge yet. By the way, red doesn’t translate well into the pictures – especially lights!

I had a tough time choosing a favorite among the few that turned out well. They are all very different. The above picture was taken with my wide angle lens. You can get that starred effect with any lens if you understand lighting, aperture and all that crap. I am still struggling with the concepts; but, I understand so much more these days because I am forcing myself to practice and not only practice, but think about those things.

Bonus Image I:

Burst of Red: Macro 12/6/2012

I wanted to show you what happens with a macro lens if you can figure it all out (how to get stars). I thought it was cool effect because it had more star points!

Bonus Image II:

Burst of Red: Psychedelic 12/6/2012

Apparently, I was messing with the camera trying to figure out things and I did not realize that I pressed the trigger. Unlike many people, including my husband, I cannot hear the shutter opening and closing. Also, I have the preview screen turned off to save the battery. As a result, I did not realize a picture was taken. I laughed upon opening up this one to view. I feel this is a happy accident. I also think this picture is rather cool. Of course I would. I am weird like that. Ha!

A Week in Pictures (#3)

Dragonfly 10/7/2012

We took a casual walk around the property and Dan spied this little fellow. Of course, I had my camera with me and snapped away.

Chessie 10/8/2012

This is Chessie’s first outing at our new house. She absolutely LOVES this place.

Promenade White Wildflower 10/9/2012

I spied this lone wildflower and it brought back tons of memories. These grew in abundance on the front lawn of my childhood home and I would pick them for Mom. I loved these little flowers.

Neighbor’s Flag Flying High on a Cloudy Day 10/10/2012

The Ugly Duck 10/11/2012

Shot at Brackenridge Park (San Antonio) during Dan’s Company Picnic.

A Colony of Asiatic dayflowers 10/12/2012

These flowers are found all over our property. They tend to wilt in the heat; but, are very colorful in the mornings.

A Birthday Gift {from Dan} 10/13/2012

I fell in love with this some time ago and showed it to Dan. I forgot about it until he gave it to me in the morning. I love it! I should have polished it before taking a picture of this; but, I was rapidly running out of daylight.

Bonus Picture Taken by Dan: Free Birthday Brownie Sundae from Chili’s.

A Weekend in Pictures

We went to the Dallas area last weekend (September 8-9) to attend a grand-niece's first birthday party. The entire weekend was rather lovely! I do so enjoy watching the kids and visiting with family and friends. There was a baseball practice, soccer game, birthday party and a brunch gathering.

It was hard to narrow the pictures down so that this post is not so heavy laden. I did not succeed so well. Anyway, below are some of my favorites shots I took. Keep in mind that these are snapshots. So, do not be expecting perfection. Also, the pictures shown have been resized to fit the blog; so, they are not as great as seeing the full-sized version. Enjoy!

(By the way, Dan will be posting his pictures on his blog soon. I will nag him until he does.)








The Birthday Girl


All the Toddlers Loved this Toy




Pure Joy


These two boys are cousins. They play well together, don't they?

These three are all cousins to one another

The following is a series of pictures of a lovely little girl that I just had to post.



And, last of all, this is my absolute favorite! I'm absolutely floored.

{To see the larger picture, go here.}

Oh how I wish I had captured the birthday girl like this! Maybe some day.

Remember, Dan will be posting his pictures on his blog soon.

Thursday's Thoughts

Thursdays have always been my “writing” days on the blog – sharing my personal thoughts or results from various writing challenges around the interwebs. Sharing my writings is a very tough thing for me to do; so, Thursdays are often neglected. Since I do not have much time for blogging and sewing/crafting due to life, I have decided I will just to do general recaps of my week. At the very least, writing will not get neglected.

Let’s see, since we finally closed on the house, we basically immediately packed and left that night (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) for a trip to the Houston, Texas area. We witnessed two of my nephews graduate from high school – one on Thursday evening:


{Yes. hats were thrown; but, they are obscured by all the people in the background}
and another on Saturday morning:


I am very proud of both of my nephews. Dan managed to get decent pictures from both ceremonies.

We also visited with Mother several times while we in town. She was doing better this time around than the last time I visited her. She has her ups and downs. And, we saw Lily! She and her mother came to town to attend the graduations too. She is the cutest little “bug” ever!
Overall, the long weekend was very good and we had a wonderful relaxing time visiting with family. Both Dan and I were very reluctant to pack and return home last Sunday because we knew we were going to have to knuckle down and start packing and planning for a week long camping trip. On the way home, I started working on a menu plan and grocery list. We tend to keep things very simple regarding food.

When we arrived home, we immediately noticed that Gracie’s food was all gone and Chessie’s was practically untouched. Chessie is eating Gracie’s food! I feel so frustrated. However, Gracie’s food is better for Chessie in the long run. Gracie needs specialty cat food due to her allergies and food sensitivities and these types of food are more expensive. I just dislike the idea of wasting good cat food (Science Diet) that we still have for Chessie; but, if she is not going to eat it, she is not going to eat it. Since she is already a skinny cat (has been all her life), we cannot afford to let her lose weight. So, we are switching her over to Gracie’s food. This means that I had to buy more of Gracie’s cat food before we go camping. Dang finicky cats!

Anyway, I have been finishing up and fine-tuning the menu plan, making the grocery list and taking stock of what we do have for camping. Dan brought out the big black boxes Monday night and started taking stock of the current camping stuff. He tested some old inner tubes and I believe they are fine. A few boxes are packed already with camping supplies. So, we are making progress!

I will be going grocerying this morning. Yes, I realize “grocerying” is not a legit word; but, it should be a valid word. Ha! I will also start preparing the food today. I tend to prepare the meats and freeze them ahead of time. For example, I make the burger patties and freeze them. I also tend to clean up and brine the chicken before throwing them in the freezer. By doing this ahead of time, it makes our lives so much easier while camping. All we will have to do is grab the meat from the cooler and throw it on the grill when we are hungry.

I will continue food preparation tomorrow (Friday). Both Friday and Saturday will be spent packing, packing and more packing. We will be leaving for Garner sometime Saturday. Due to the fact that Wi-Fi connection is hard to reach at Garner, I will be on a blogging break.

And besides, I do not think I will have the time or inclination to blog while we are camping. I am planning to return to blogging on Monday, June 18th. But, if I do not post anything that Monday, do not worry. I will be back. :-)