Photo Gig!

Our choir director greeted me tonight as I first walked in the door with asking me to photograph the Fall concert for the Capitol City Band at the First Baptist Church downtown. At first, I thought no, no, no! I can't do that! He seemed to think I could do it and after a few questions about it, I told him I would think about it during choir practice and let him know.

As we were having choir practice, I said a prayer about it and the song came to me if you're given the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance and I've decided to dance!! I'm excited and scared at the same time. But I think it will be a good experience even if I fail and every photo doesn't turn out. It's a volunteer service for them and I'll do my best. I'm just nervous about the indoor lighting situation. Those situations are usually difficult to photograph.

I did call a friend who knows more than me about photography and she's photographed in that church and told me it was well lit and just calmed me down and I feel better about it. So we'll see how this goes and I hope to have some good photos to post!

My Favorite Little Girl

Today I took Paige to "school" and then while we were waiting to go to swimming lessons, we stopped by the library. In a field across from the library was a little garden and a creek.

She was so funny because she asked me if I had my camera with me. I said yes. Then she said, "will you take a picture of me, bearbear?" I loved it!! So she posed sitting on a big rock in front of the creek. Cute:) Gotta love that little girl. She was so sweet today.

Chillin'

This girl knows how to chill in her Paw Paw's chair!

Macro Photography

I love macro photography. This photo above, as you can probably guess, is a very close-up of the aloe plant below. But I've noticed that I can only get "so close" and focus, manually or automatically. I talked to a guy at a photo shop about it and he suggested getting a macro lens (the expensive way - anywhere from $500 to $1000!!) or a set of filter lens that you screw onto the end of your lens with different "powers" that will let you get closer and focus (the less expensive way - about $70 for the set). I have a set of those but they won't fit the end of the lens of my digital camera. So. . . I'm going to experiement a little tomorrow and take my lens from my film camera and see if it will work on the digital body with these macro lens. If not. . . I may be spending $70 soon. I asked him about extension tubes, which I'd read about, and he acted like that was the worst thing I could do. I don't know what to think. If anyone out there could make a suggestion, I'd sure appreciate it.

Here's a photo of the aloe plant with natural light coming in from the side. I really like this photo, too. Then I saw the drops of water where I had just watered it and decided to go macro but think it could be better than the results I got.

It's a fun hobby but sometimes expensive!

What Are These?

I see these planted along the brick wall at a drive-thru at a Chick Fil A I go to and I love them. Does anyone know what these are?

Oh to Be Young Again!

Found this at East Chase shopping area!

SOMEONE had a great time and I just had to get a photo!

Spider or Spyder Lilies?

When I went to pick up Paige today at her little Mother's Day Out, as we were leaving, we saw this beautiful arrangement of flowers. I see these flowers everywhere this time of year that look like they grow wild. I'm told they're called Spider Lilies. Or the spelling could be Spyder, for all I know. I've not taken the time to look it up. I used to think they were kind of ugly but not anymore.

When I saw this arrangement, I thought it was SO pretty. Now I enjoy them along the roadside as I'm driving more than I did!

Here's a close-up of one of these lilies. Just gorgeous!

Beauty is all around us if we'll open our eyes and our hearts to let it in!

Amazing Lessons From Nature!

I got so lucky and got this photo of Canada geese flying over our backyard this week because they fly so fast! I notice that they always fly in a V shape and I heard in a sermon, I think, why and had forgotten. So I googled it and this is what I found. What a lesson!!!

Go to theleadership.wordpress.com and type in flying geese v in the search box and be amazed!! One of the most interesting things I've read in a long time. Nature is awesome! God is awesome!

The Hunter

Don't let this beautiful creature fool you! She can take care of herself and she's quite a hunter or should I say huntress?

You can see what a beautiful coat of fur she has but look closely (click on the photo if you'd like) and look at her ears. They have long hair inside them. Also, you can't see them in this photo but she has long hair over her paws. A friend of my girls ( a young man ) told me once that if you see a cat that has these features, he or she is a hunter.

Lately, SOMEONE has been hunting or maybe ALL are hunting! One morning this week, as my husband was leaving the house, he saw a yellowhammer woodpecker on our back porch on his back and Halle, the cat above, was hovering over the bird so we figured she must have knocked him down and was there for the "kill". We both didn't want the woodpecker to be killed by the cat, so I guarded him and shooed the cat away while my husband went to the garage to get a shovel and a box to put him in. He was still alive. After that, we didn't know what we were going to do with him and decided to worry about that later but as it turned out, we didn't have to worry about it because before my husband could get back from the garage, I stood there and watched the woodpecker turn over on his stomach and fly off! I really think he trusted me and thought I was guarding him from the cat!

After I told my husband goodbye, I went back into the house to finish vacuuming the house and found about a 5 to 6 inch frog hopping around in the foyer! Thank goodness, my granddaughter left her butterfly net here and I thought about that. I got the net and captured the frog and let him go outside!

Then last night, we had just gone to bed when our little dog went into the kitchen and was barking incessantly and it was keeping me awake. I tried to get my husband to go in there to see what he was barking at because I was afraid it might be a snake! He was so tired, he just couldn't get up so I got up and went into the kitchen. There was my little dog barking at another frog! He had the frog cornered and finally grabbed him into his mouth and went through the pet door outside. I opened the door to follow him to make sure he turned him loose outside (which he did). So I felt comfortable going back to bed and went to sleep.

We never know what we'll find inside the house that either the dog or one of the three cats bring inside. We just have to guess most of the time which one is the culprit. It was clear who got the woodpecker.

Halle brought a snake inside the house about four years or so ago. I was rearranging furniture in the extra bedroom downstairs about 10 am when I saw this snake coiled up next to the wall. I know she did it because she was in there with me and very excited about seeing it. I just had this feeling she brought it inside. So I called my husband at work and told him about it. He said to kill it. I asked how. He said to get a broom or mop or something and whack it but shut the door so it couldn't get out just in case I missed. I got a flat sponge mop and whacked. All this snake did was try to run up under the rug so I called my husband back and begged him to come home and kill this snake. He did. A co-worker's husband worked at the zoo and asked him to put it in a container and bring it to her at work and she would find out what type of snake it was for us. Her husband told us that it was a very popular kind of snake for pets and if we saw any more, could we catch them and give them to the zoo because people were asking constantly for these snakes for pets.

No thanks!

A Special Day!!

Today is my only brother's birthday. My husband and I met him at The Cracker Barrel for a brunch celebration. Above he is pictured in the parking lot with his new truck. Like it!

This morning when I woke up at 5 am (which is VERY unusual for me!), I got on the computer to try to find coupons for The Cracker Barrel. As I was looking around, I saw that forty years ago today (September 19, 1969), the first Cracker Barrel opened in Lebanon, TN. What a coincidence!

Happy Birthday, Craig! I love you!

Photo Booth - A LONG Time Ago!

Here's a photo I scanned (still learning how to do this) a while back when I first bought my scanner. I am guessing that I'm about 15 years old and my brother is about 12 years old. I think it's cute.

Guess I'm posting it because it's a photo with both of my parents when they were young and I really like it. It also reminds me of the different traits I inherited from both of my parents.

One is temper which I lost last night and was still angry this morning. I was so angry with my husband last night that I didn't think I would go to sleep but, surprisingly, I went right to sleep and slept a very good night's sleep until about 7 this morning. But when my feet hit the floor (and immediately, I might add!), I was still angry. So I immediately took my vitamin and calcium with a glass of milk and started vacuuming the house with furor.

This is what made me so angry last night. The silliest thing. He said he would like for "us" to get in a routine of cleaning and vacuuming the house. It infuriated me. I tend to over-react just like my daddy and can have a temper like he had. So I woke up still just as angry as when I went to sleep for some reason and just started vacuuming.

But, you see, I used to hold in my anger and would end up depressed, sometimes very depressed. I'm trying to find ways to vent my anger in a healthier way and physical things are a good way for me. My husband calls it over-reacting but I call it a healthy way to vent my anger. I also wrote in long-hand how I felt and then shredded it. It was almost like a prayer for help and it works for me!

When I got home today, my floors were clean and my husband was nicer to me and I had gotten over my anger. Whatever works, right?

The Beauty of the Rain

It has been raining here for at least two days very heavily. It was much needed rain. Paige and I have been discussing rain. She told me she didn't like rain. I told her I loved rain and she gave me this confused look. I told her that when it rains, I love to go sit on my screened-in porch in the swing and listen to the rain, look at the rain, and smell the rain. I explained to her how all the animals that live outside all the time really need the rain. We talked about how the little birds take baths in the rain, either in a puddle or a bird bath someone has put in their yard. I think her attitude about rain has changed after that. It was fun to talk about it with her and watch her little expressions and eyes and listen to her questions and comments. When I was talking about the little birds taking a bath, I could just see her imagination churning. She was picturing that in her mind. I know it! :)

Anyway, when I went to do something in my laundry room this morning, I caught a view of these raindrops on a shrub just outside the door window and, of course, went and grabbed my camera. I just thought it was beautiful - all that greenery with those beautiful raindrops hanging there. Beauty is everywhere if we'll just take time to look.

New Self Portraits

Close


Closer


Closest

New haircut, new hair color, all dressed up so I thought I'd do the self portrait thing in the mirror!

Another Groovy Day At Chick Fil A

Free breakfast every Tuesday in September at East Chase Chick Fil A.

Isn't he cute? :-)

Go With the Flow

Some days you just gotta go with the flow! Today I had Paige with me at home and it was laundry day for me. She was LOADED with questions for me today (more than usual, for some reason). Why, where, when, who, how, etc.

But we did get a lot done and did get the laundry done. But even on days like this, there are some times when you see something as NOT a problem, but a cute photo op! I love this photo! I love this little girl. :)

It's such a privilege to have her with me a few days every week. I am a lucky grandmother and a blessed human being.

Sprouts Growing Sprouts

Here are a few different angles of our little sprout grandchild growing sprouts!

She brought them over here one day back in the middle of summer and we just never got "around to it" until one day last week. I should have photographed the little ladybug gardening tools and seed packet, too, but will do it the next time I photograph the progress of these flowers. It all was just so cute!

These are supposed to become African Daisies and the back of the seed packet says to plant the seeds in spring or summer. Well, it's still summer, isn't it? Until the 22nd of this month! AND, we planted them about a week or so ago. It's still hot. So we'll see. We're keeping them watered and outside for sheltered sunshine.

You really cannot tell how small the pot is because of how I photographed it. The next time I photograph it, I will try to show how little bitty the pot is - so cute!

It's so much fun to grow things with children and see it through their innocent, magical eyes. :)

Big Accomplishment!

This is the closest thing I had of a photo of a pencil or pen! I did this on a program called Picnik. I took a photo of the plant and with the program, made it into a pencil drawing.

But that's not what my Big Accomplishment is for this post. I dedicated my entire Saturday today to finishing thank you notes concerning my mother's sickness and memorial service and filling out her book with information that the funeral home gave us. I did it! I did it because she did it for my daddy, my grandmother, my uncle, all sorts of relatives. So she must think it's important to fill out those books so I did hers. What a great feeling. I hate to have something like that "hanging over my head". I think it affects other things I want to accomplish because I'm so worried about this getting done in a timely fashion. And it could be affecting my sleep.

So now I can move on to other pursuits. I have to admit this one was not a fun thing to do although I feel like it was necessary. I also realize that not everything in life is fun. But now I feel like I can move on to some fun things to accomplish! Yay!

My Mother's Home

Just wanted to preserve a photo of my mother's home here. It is on the market now and the realtor is taking down wallpaper and painting in the two bathrooms and the kitchen. She is a very hard worker.

I still have a key and tend to use my mother's house for my bathroom stops when I'm there doing other things like shopping, running errands, etc. The last time I was there, the realtor was there painting the kitchen and we were talking. I was telling her how I found this house for my mother by just the two of us riding around. Then we got a realtor to take us inside and as soon as my mother walked in, she said, "this is it". It just had a feeling of home to her and she loved it. She didn't care that the wallpaper was outdated or the colors were outdated or it needed new flooring. She just loved the "at home" feeling of the house.

Right before she passed away, she told me that she knew that God placed her in that home to be near her neighbors because she had such good neighbors and loved them so much. They were so good to her and we could never repay them for what they did for her.

I was passing along this info to the realtor and she told me that it was a very well-built house and did have a "homey" feeling and was in a good neighborhood with good neighbors. She told me that the last people to come look at the house stayed about two seconds and walked out. She said she told my brother that those people didn't deserve to live there, that the ones who deserve to live there will be the ones who feel the way my mother did about the house. I loved that.

I'll Photograph ALMOST Anything!

This was the scene I ran into earlier this week! My first attempt did not work out. My vehicle was in the position where you see the white truck, turning left at this light. I rolled my window down and was really, really close. The two "cows" even posed for me and I snapped and looked at the photo only to see the photo and then a statement on my LCD screen that said no card in camera!! Ugh!

But I had another card in my bag and put it in the camera when I was able to park. When I came back out of the shopping area, this was the best angle I had.

I have started carrying my camera with me everywhere I go just about all the time now. But I need to remember to take my card out of the computer and put BACK IN THE CAMERA!!

Yesterday I was in line at a fast food place and saw the most beautiful, large butterfly! I reached for my camera, rolled down the window but was not quick enough. You just never know what you'll see or come in contact with when you're out and about. Might get a lucky photograph!

Reflexology

About 3 or 4 months ago, my youngest daughter gave me a gift certificate for an hour session of reflexology. This was something I was very unfamiliar with and she explained what it was all about. So I made my first appointment and it was heavenly. Now I think I am addicted to it. I went to my third session today. I've decided to indulge myself once a month. It is really relaxing, not just for the feet but for the entire body.

As for the photograph in blue, I had my white balance set for daylight and as this photo was taken inside with tungsten light bulbs, I got this bluish effect, which I like very much. It looks soothing.

I would recommend reflexology to anyone. Please give it a try!

Those Eyes. . .

The eyes are windows to the soul, right? I love this little girl.

Short but sweet post today.

Labor Day

I hate to use a photo twice on my blog but I've done it before. I actually like this photo. It's my computer and I love it and I like the colors in it. But the reason I posted it is because I spent the morning playing on my computer with Photoshop (finally!). I stayed up way too late last night playing with it, too. I ordered Video Professor to learn it and I've had good experiences with Video Professor. I popped in the first of three CDs and just am going through them listening (not playing along yet) and I actually think I can do this. I was surprised. I thought it was going to be way over my head but I think I can do it!

Then after lunch, I went to my youngest daughter's house and helped her paint a bedroom downstairs that she wants to make into a guest bedroom. She chose a really pretty color to use. It's called Snowdrop and it is so light, light, icy blue that it looks like the colors in pics of Alaska I saw at my brother's house yesterday from his vacation a year ago. Beautiful blues! At first, the paint just looked white but as it dried, it turned into this beautiful icy blue. She wants to make it a "cottage" look in this bedroom which I think will be very pretty. I told her I was ready to go out and buy the bedding! ha!

My husband was very sweet and had dinner cooked when I got home and I helped him clean up the kitchen. Then I had a little time to package up some correspondence to my sister and check my email and Facebook and post on here. Now I think to wind down, I will draw for at least 30 minutes. Another productive, day, feeling good that I helped someone again but at the same time, I took time for myself to learn something new and play around a little.

Football, Football, Football

This photo is not from this year but football season has begun at our house. In the not too distant past, we did order season tickets and go to the games but decided to stop that. We can "enjoy" it from the comfort of our home now.

I am just not a big football fan, never have been. The last game of the regular season is the only one I'm interested in watching. Of course, I love to have bragging rights over winning any and all games because I graduated from Auburn University, as did my husband, both my children, and both my sons- in law. My dad attended but never graduated. We've just always been an Auburn family and Auburn IS a great place. I just don't care for football that much. There ARE other things at Auburn! But. . . . . WAR EAGLE!! And I wish the best for the football team this season! And we did win our first game last night!

Closets Revisited

This weekend my sister from Kentucky came to visit and to pack the things she's chosen to keep of Mama's and take back home with her. She rented a UHaul truck because she had some big pieces of furniture and a few big boxes. While they were doing this, I went back into one of her extra bedrooms where I had an experience that I won't forget and took a picture where it happened. Above is a picture of this teeny tiny closet where she kept her sewing and creative treasures. This was the last place I looked through and I can't figure out if I was saving the best for last or was scared of it and saved it for last.


I opened it up (and you can see how small it is from the above photo) and started sorting through her fabrics, thread, buttons, scissors, thimbles, and when I got to the patterns, I lost it. I just broke down and boo-hoo-ed because there I found the patterns that she made my wedding dress from, my prom dress, my bridesmaids dresses, my sisters' things, brother's shirts, my daddy's things that she made - just the whole family. All of a sudden I felt this burst of love coming from that teeny, tiny closet. It's just amazing to me that much love, over 60 years worth, could come from such a tiny place. It was then that I realized how much she loved us, how smart she was, how industrious she was, how caring she was, how creative she was in many, many ways, how unselfish she was and how much I love her and miss her.

They don't make "mamas" like that anymore!

Closets

I'm on a mission of getting my closets (at least) cleaned out and storing things up for a yard sale hopefully sometime in October with my youngest daughter.

Today I cleaned out a linen closet which had a lot of things besides linen in it! There were a couple of bags/boxes with high school, junior high, and elementary clothing. I also came across baby, toddler, and small child clothing and toys.

The little dance outfit above was one thing I found and it brought back such good memories. Both my girls took gymnastics and dance and this was one of the recital outfits for my oldest daughter. I remember how much they both just loved it so much. Instead of putting it in the yard sale, I decided to see if Paige would like it.

Boy, oh boy, did she! As soon as she saw it, she wanted to put it on. Their visit was brief today so I didn't get a photo of her in it but I will soon.

After I finish my closets, I will try to tackle the attics. We have two. One in the house and one above the garage. They are so full of things that we never use and don't need. It's almost overwhelming but I just take it one little step at a time and every now and then, take a break from it all.

Each little nook and cranny that's organized and clean makes me feel so good. :)

Color!!!

Here are two more I like because of the color! Others have commented on the one above and how they like the colors in it. This is just a photo of the kind of grass that's cut for hay. Not being a farmer, I don't know what it's called but it's red and I think it's very pretty. Then to get up under it and put the sky behind it just makes it more beautiful to me. Of course, I played around with the color and it was so much fun to see!


Minnie is always cute, isn't she? Here she's keeping watch over the golf tees for us and looks as if she's admiring them. :) A fun day of photography trying to find different things and ways to photograph away the day!

I Like It!!!

I don't know why I'm so taken with this photo. I took it two days ago at the golf course. Then I played around with it a little and got a couple of images I really liked. I think it's the softness of the butterfly or moth against the steel of the golf club. And the colors I love, too. As I played around with saturating the color, I got some fantastic colors. I don't really understand how all this works. I just love it. I am fascinated obsessed with it!!

Today was a golf day and I have many too many photos but I decided to post one from yesterday to show the scenery in the background. My daughter texted me this morning and asked if we had seen the newspaper. Paige and I were in the newspaper today and the little article below said that I was taking pictures of my granddaughter feeding the ducks and we were just enjoying the weather.

So here's a picture of her feeding the ducks although there are no ducks in the background! ha!

It was another wonderful day. After golf, we ate out and then came home and did things here.

Movie night tonight!