Tiny Bubbles!

I was checking out 365 Day blogs on Flickr to see what awesome ideas other people were coming up with. I got this idea from a picture on http://onplanetcreativity.blogspot.com/. What I discovered first about this experiment was that I only had orange food coloring, bummer! Then I discovered that after stirring the water and oil together, by the time the water stopped moving most of the bubbles had popped! But definitely still worth trying again. I just have to get out and get some food coloring!

By the way... as you may or may not know, I am always on the look-out for faces in things. Do you happen to see a face in this picture?
Hint: lower left corner :)

Happy Days

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days.
Saturday, What a day,
Groovin' all week with you.

I may be showing my age here, but I just loved Fonzie and Leather Tuscadero. I wanted to be as cool as her! Of course I was/am, you know. Oh the good ole days, Happy Days followed by Laverne and Shirley, now that was a great night of television!

Oh Deer

My husband and I went out and did a little hiking today. Even though it was only about 35 degrees, it actually felt somewhat warm. I was hoping to get a few pictures of deer and luckily we did. As we walked along we spotted the first two, photographed here.They stood and stared at us for about a minute, just  long enough to get a few pictures. The 2nd photo is of the same deer, just giving us one more look before heading off to the safety of the brush. We did walk up on 3 more deer on the other side of some trees, couldn't get in close enough to get a picture of any of them. I also enjoyed all the cardinals that were flying around. I must have seen at least 6 male cardinals.  I didn't get any pictures of them but the bright red against the brown of the landscape, oh so pretty!

You Can't See Me!

 A few paper clips, some camouflage paper, low on the creativity, and TA DA! 

A grumpy looking face that you can't see! Ha!

Happy Bouncy Ball

What does a 17 year old buy when they have a quarter in their pocket? A bouncy ball of course! Oh the love of a bouncy ball. When she was little, every store we visited that had a ball machine got a quarter. The super-sized bouncy balls were the best! Solid colored balls, balls with designs and balls with faces! How exciting! I bet if I went through some boxes in her closet today, I would still find a handful of bouncy balls.
Isn't it great that we can still be a kid no matter how old we get!

Self-Portrait

I hate having my picture taken, just hate it! But here one is. Why post a picture of myself when I just said I hate it?? because you have to step out of your comfort zone every so often. And because I took this picture, I will accept the fact that it is a bit blurry, the lighting stinks and the point of focus is on the big curl on the right side of my head!

Sweet Temptation

I will not eat this candy bar, I will not eat this candy bar,

I will not eat this candy bar, I will not eat this candy bar!

Jim ate the candy bar, Jim ate the candy bar,

Jim ate the candy bar, Jim ate the candy bar!

Whew! That was close!

This Little Light of Mine

Tonight I played around with some lighting. For the 1st picture I sat off to the side of a direct overhead light and then placed a flashlight on the table just to the left of me. The 2nd picture, I have the flashlight lying overhead of the jar.  Not too bad, but still had to do some contrast and color adjustments in Picasa.
What a cool little jar this is, several different patterns all around it!

You Again?!

Well it appears that I have been looking at a banded seagull all this time. The orange thing is a tag and he has a band on his leg. Hmmm, aren't I, the one with the camera, suppose to notice these little details!! Anyway, I went on the "report a tag" website and sent over information about this guy. Too bad I can't tell what the numbers on his tag are. It will be interesting to see what kind of information I get back. In the comments section, I let them know that I have a few pictures of the bird, lol!! Very interesting :)

Fuzzy Bud

In our backyard on the other side of the fence is a Magnolia Tree. It 's not our tree, but it hangs over our fence and we get to enjoy the beauty of the flowers (and the mess). This is one of  the fuzzy little buds that are all over the tree right now, keeping those flowers safe and snug inside. In the spring the tree will bring the most beautiful flowers.

Time to Fuel Up

TGIF! Time to rest, relax, and recharge!! Filler up!!!

The Sun Came Out Today!

On the way home tonight I took a slight detour over to the river. Just as I arrived a barge was heading down river. It is actually in the picture, right behind the pier so you can't see it. According to an Illinois visitor guide, you should come on down to the river to watch the barges! How cool is that?!  So I snapped a few quick shots because it is sooooooo cold and headed over to get a hair cut. lol! I'm not completely sure why I liked this picture the best. I think it is the brightness of the sun that has been hiding for so many days. I feel like I need my sunglasses just to look at the picture! It was so wonderful to see the sun today.

A Note to my Little Buddy

Hey there little buddy, how have you been? I'm sorry that I have been ignoring you lately. We worked so closely together for so long and we made some really wonderful pictures together. I know we have grown apart. Yes you are stuck in that case all day but you are with me every where I go! I can't leave the house with out you! You are there for those moments when there is no other. I want you to know that you are still my little buddy and I love you and I will always need you.

Not the Original

One Christmas many years ago, me, my sister, and two cousins received this Lion bank as a gift from Uncle Tim. Each lion had our first names painted on the back. It was so cool, you don't usually see piggy banks that look like lions! Well somewhere along the line, the bank got broken. That was a sad thing, gone forever. Then one day while wondering through an antique store, lo and behold what do I see but the same lion bank! I was pretty darn excited! Even though he is not the original lion bank, I still think he is a pretty neat treasure. A treasure that brings back memories of Christmas and family and happiness. Now if  I could just find that Oscar the Grouch radio...

The Living Room Experiment

So I have been trying to think of something creative to do with my camera that I can do in the house, the house that has the worst lighting ever! I don't think there is one room that has good lighting, that includes any natural lighting too. So I remembered some advice on how to take a panoramic picture. Thanks David! Set your feet in one spot, making sure that you are able to pivot your body without moving your feet. Take a picture, move slightly, take another making sure to capture the edge of the last picture in it, then move again and do the same. Take as many as you feel necessary. So I gave it a try with just three captures and here are the results.
Can't wait to get outside and give it another try!

Milk and Cookies

Is there nothing better on a cold dreary day then milk and cookies! And to make it even better, I didn't have to make the cookies, Liz did! The milk is being served in this treasure I found in a cupboard in the basement. It is a sweet little half pint milk bottle with the city I live in imprinted on it. Mmmmm, what a treat!

Toss Up!

I come from a family that has always enjoyed playing cards and games. Rummy, Speed, Spades, Euchre, Pinochle, Cribbage, Old Maid, Slap Jack, Spoons. Then there are the board games, Sorry, Monopoly, Life, and my sisters favorite, Clue. There are also the dice games we like to play, 10,000, Farkle, and Toss Up! The competitiveness comes out with my brother-in-law and my youngest niece. They both have amazing luck and are both quite ornery!! But we laugh and we have lots of fun and we all get along and play nicely, usually!

Peaceful

A visit to the cemetery this afternoon brought several interesting images but I was compelled to pick this one. We have no family at this cemetery but it close to our home and a nice quiet, peaceful and quite interesting place to walk. We find that there is a lot of history in a cemetery. You see 100 year old head stones and new ones too. (The headstone shaped like a motorcycle???) You see how back in the day the wife/woman was listed as "wife of" or "daughter of". It is amazing to see how long people lived or how short their lives were. And the names of those people from 100 years ago, so interesting! You wonder if there is still family around to visit the older graves. It's also amazing to see how we cherish the ones we have lost, the flowers, the teddy bears, the angels watching over them. A very interesting place to visit.

Smiley Rock

I think this is where my fascination began for finding faces in nature. I found this rock at least 5 years ago down at the creek at McNaughton Park. I love his little happy face! I have him on my desk at work in my view to help remind me to smile each and every day. I will admit that sometimes I ignore him, look right past him, and forget to smile. Shame on me! But when I notice him again, it makes me feel good. The little things, such as a simple smile, do matter.

Shades

Home with my sick kid today, headache, sore throat, runny nose, yucky cough. I  managed to sneak away for a while while she took a nap to get in a few pictures while the sun was out. Headed out to the park to see what would inspire me. Today it was the clouds and sun.
I like the way the sun shines through the clouds on these cloudy days, that extra glow right before the sun emerges. Since I don't have a filter for my lens to show that glow, I used my sunglasses to get a better contrast. Yes, I could have cropped out the sunglasses so that you never would have known that I used my shades, but what fun would that be?!

Another View from the Kitchen Window

The birds watched me this morning as I filled the feeders up again, we have 3. This one I can spot from the kitchen window. As soon as I was back in the house they were busy pigging out!  The day is snowy and gray and I am shooting in the house with the window open but through the window screen. Not the best picture,wishing that it was clearer, wishing for a little sunshine!,but that's what I get when shooting through the screen.
Still, the part of this picture that I like best is the mouthful of snow that little birdie has!

Note* I believe that this bird is a Dark-Eyed Junco

Green on Green

Green is the color of nature, of life. Green is the color of balance. Green is a restful color. Green means learning, growth and harmony.

Seagulls

I spent a couple of hours down at the Pekin River Front this morning taking pictures. It was darn cold but the sun was shining and I needed to see some sunshine. The seagulls were out in groves, hanging out on the ice and also enjoying the sun. I'm not sure what that seagull has stuck in his wing, but it didn't seem to bother him much. Hey, at least he stood out in the crowd!! lol
The river was flowing and the ice was breaking up and smashing against more ice. I truly enjoyed listening to the sounds of the river today. The flowing of the ice, the cry of the gulls, it was almost mesmerizing.

Refrigerator Magnets

Started off the week-end working for a couple of hours, then some running before heading off to the Blue Man Group show. It was awesome!! Then over to my sis-in-laws for a family gathering. As it tends to be the norm, we ended up hanging out in the kitchen reminiscing of the cars we had and gave away and the old days when we were invincible. We, well at least me and someone who left a message for Cody :) enjoyed playing with the fridge magnets.  Yes, they may be for the grand kids, but aren't we all kids at heart?! I bet my sister in-law never dreamed the fridge magnets would be so entertaining!
Now I'm off to a warm electric blanket and a movie to fall asleep to.

Obsession

Meet my husbands obsession, Zuma. Enough said.

You're So Cute!!

I come from a family that likes to sew and knit and cross stitch, Granny, Grandmother, my mother. My sister and I always received a special hand made gift every Christmas, the beloved slippers.  I still have the snake that was knitted and filled with beans (long gone) and the little blue monster guy who has lost his hair many moons ago. Then there was the Melissa doll, she has a heart stitched on her with a M in it and clothes to go with. Granny and Grandmother are gone so my mother carries on this tradition for our girls. All the girls, Liz and my 3 nieces, all received one of these bears last Christmas. Each bear is a little different since they were all hand made and the outfits they wear with it's cute little silky britches and a silky jacket and ears hiding under that hat! They also have the initial of the owner stitched on them, right where their hearts are. The bears are a treasure and will always be treasured.

Just Jack

We got Jack from Taps too, way back in '98. He's getting old and achy and quite annoyed with me for taking his picture 500 times! I kept telling him to sit still and I would be done, but does he listen?! It amazes me the older he gets the more gray he gets, didn't really realize animals gray too.
I took Jack's picture using my new Christmas lens, a Canon 50 mm f 1/8. Thanks Uncle Tim!!!

Water Droplets

The goal here was to take a crisp clear picture that showed the circles reflecting in the water droplets. I had a terrible time with getting the focus and then holding the camera to high so the picture looks slanted instead of flat. Maybe I have too many droplets?? and I know the lighting wasn't right. Not a complete failure though, I think it's still interesting, but will definitely attempt this again.

Dolly Dearest

This is Dolly. She loves no one but we love her! We adopted her from Taps back in 2004 and never noticed that she has a slight mouth deformity until she had her first vet visit. Her lower jaw is small which makes her bottom teeth slanted and her tongue stick out some. Does not seem to bother her at all or hamper her eating in any way, she is still quite the booger!
I used my macro lens to take her picture. Sometimes I forget I have it, but I always like the pictures I take with it . Liz is standing over me, so that is why she has such wide eyes. Liz snatches her up at every chance so Dolly has to prepare to flee at any given moment!

The View from the Kitchen

As I stand and do the dishes, the view from my window is either a white fence that needs painting or the 2nd story window of the neighbors house. As always, I love to see reflections, but the chair just gives me a sense of warmth and comfort.

The Many Faces of Mr.Sun

Mr. Sun has been resting on my dresser for many years but just happened to draw my attention tonight. My room is a bit tight on room, so I moved around to a few different angles as I was shooting. After reviewing what I shot, I noticed that the first picture looked normal, the second picture looked as though he was sticking his tongue out and the third picture looked as though there are teeth. A bit creepy :)

Happy Birthday Jennifer

Happy Birthday to my sister! We celebrated her birthday and New Years Eve with food, lots of food! Grandmother set up the chocolate fountain and it was sooooo gooood!! Of course there was presents for Jennifer and cake. Then cards until the New Year rang in. Such party animals!

365 Day Project

In an attempt to continue this passion I have for photography, I have decided to participate in the 365 Day Project. Wish me luck!