Memories Through Photography

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sickies Have Taken Over The House

2009-03-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

We have been sick much of March. Hopefully, next month brings healthier days.

A Thousand Words Thursday - Little Miss Sunny Puss

2009-03-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

This is another staged photo by my Goddess.
She is the perfect muse with tons of expressions and thoughts for photos.

ABC Wednesday - H - Hugging

2009-03-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of my favorite pictures of my children. I know you can't see their
faces but how stinking cute are they hugging each other? She is almost 2 and he was 4.
They warm my heart.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-02-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Check out this outfit put together by 3 year old Goddess. Need I say more?!

ABC Wednesday - F

2009-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

We are already up to letter "f" over at ABC Wednesday.

This week, "F" stands for Flowers

The sweet whisper of his lover, cascaded down the velvety petals of the tulip, into
the heart of the golden cup - Maria Gagliano 2009

I really love this photo. The only thing I did was add my name at the bottom. No special effects, just raw beauty.

Playing with Flowers

2009-02-23T18:41:00.001-08:00

The first picture is one that I took of a yellow tulip from D and used an effect called Lomoish. Personally I like the original but think the Lomoish is interesting and colorful.

Last week I had a playdate with my son's friend L and his wonderful momma D. She is the ultimate guest. I seriously need to take some tips from her. She came over with a beautiful bouquet of tulips and some Valentine cookies. I never bring anything when I visit people.

She is the sweetest and liked her from the first day I met her. She instantly makes me feel comfortable and I love how she views the world. She is one of those people everyone should have in their life.

I am fortunate to have so many wonderful friends in my life. They are all good and different. There is the friend you call when you need a shoulder, or one you laugh with, discuss life with, who is your best cheerleader? I live with someone who can make me feel so small with just his presence never mind his personality. Friends make you feel important and worthy. My friends make me feel like I matter. This is used be more of a problem for me. I needed to feel someone cared and someone thought that what I had to say is worthy of listening to. I don't NEED this as much as I used to. My current philosophy is...we are all the stars of our own reality, so there is no longer a NEED for someone to validate me. If I waited for my husband to do this I would be waiting a long time and the way things affect me is based on how I handle it. I no longer let people affect me in negative ways. My husband can't make me feel bad about something if I don't allow it. Period!

So, back to the beautiful flowers...how the hell did I get on a tangent about validation anyway???

Thursday Challenge - The Pink Hat

2009-02-18T20:20:00.001-08:00

I couldn't possibly choose just one of these for the Thursday Challenge. They are all so adorable, you choose.

Wordless Wednesday - Helping Yourself

2009-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

ABC Wednesday - Excitement

2009-02-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

"E" is for excitement!

Family Foto Fun Friday - Love

2009-02-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Join Diana for her FFFF Meme. It is supposed to be up by Friday but I have been MIA for the past 2 days. Sorry I'm late.

This is my son and I on Friday. We set the camera up on the tripod and snapped what I think is a really cute shot. I love how his hand is gripping my wrist. You can never get this kid in a picture these days. I added a 60's effect to it which I really like.

On this one I have the 60's effect and added a Ortonish effect to it. I like the colors a lot!

A Thousand Words Thursday - Pretty Baby

2009-02-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

This is my first A Thousand Words Thursday. I know, the words aren't necessary but I just love the quote.

Me and Handsome

2009-02-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Getting photos with my children was something I did constantly. Family pictures were done at least once a month and candid pics every day. These days, time is hard to come by but I do make a point to try. My daughter was taking a bath and my son had just walked into the bathroom to talk with us. The camera was placed on the sink, timer set, I grabbed him and said, "wait for the beep."

Obviously, he was shocked and laughing at the same time. Right after he said, "can I see it?" We took two more but this was the most fun

Wordless Wednesday on Thursday

2009-02-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

Here is my beautiful boy. I never really get many picture of baby boy these days. He is either playing Wii or at school. This particular night, I had just read him a story, grabbed my camera and asked him to smile. Not much of a smile but I like it anyway. He looks sweet which is good. These days he is testing my patience with some back talking. Grr....but who couldn't love those big brown eyes?

Contemporary Portrait

2009-02-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Hit the pouty baby girl above to go to the home of Contemporary Portrait.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Goddess. I think it just works. She looks deep in thought but was actually watching TV.

2009-02-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday is Thematic Photographic day. To join this meme, head over to Carmi's Written Inc to participate. The theme this week is "Down".

For more of my prospective head over to my main blog Maria's Space.

This is my daughter going down the BIG slide at the park. She was laughing the whole time. I had just started down the slide when I took this picture. We went down the slide probably about 50 times that day. I will always remember how much fun she had.

Ahhh...I walked into Goddess' room to find this. I wasn't happy one bit but had to get a picture of the mess. She was ecstatic. As soon as I asked her what she did she looked up smiling. She perhaps thought I would see this as something wonderful since I always praise her art. It took 45 minutes to get all of the marker off and she hasn't written on her legs since.

ABC Wednesday - C

2009-02-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

The letter this week is "C" over at ABC Wednesday. Join the group by hitting the button above.

"C" is for corn. This is a corn bin that one of the farms have out for the kids to play in. It's almost like a sand box with corn. I just love how perfect each kernel looks.

"C" is for cousins. That's my baby in the middle sharing some bonding time with her cousin's. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control they only get to see each other 2-3 times a year. It is so sad because their ages are so close. Hopefully as they get older the time apart doesn't cause them to act different around each other. The time the have together now is very special.

Go here to see more of my ABC Wednesday contribution.

Monochrome Monday - Mansion of Glory

2009-02-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Click the button above to participate in Monochrome Maniacs

I Heart Faces

2009-02-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hit the button above to be taken to the home of IHeartFaces
I found this awesome site and want to participate. I hope I have entered correctly.

Sepia Scenes - The Daisy

2009-01-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Join Mary's Sepia Scenes by clicking the button above.

Wordless Wednesday - Belly Sliding

2009-01-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

See my other Wordless Wednesday picture

ABC Wednesday -B

2009-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

Join ABC Wednesday to participate. The letter this week is B.

B=BLOCKS
Here is my daughter with one of her Christmas gifts.

Shadow Sunday

2009-01-25T14:01:00.001-08:00

Hit the button above to go to the home of Shadow Shot Sunday

This is my first Shadow Sunday. My daughter loves seeing how big her shadow is.

Monochrome Monday - Koi Pond

2009-01-18T18:25:00.001-08:00

Botanical Gardens 2006
Look at that face on the little cherub. So sweet.

Sky Watch - Memories of Spring

2009-01-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Check out my other sky watch here.

Winter 2009

2009-01-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Winter 2009 is shaping up to be a cold, blustery, snowy, icy, year and my kids couldn't be happier. They don't have sleds but they do just find going down the hill on their butts. We talked about getting them sleds this year but honestly, why? They would probably kill themselves coming down the hill on a sled. I think this way they have a little more control.

Handsome has been going up the hill alone since the end of last winter. It took me 2 years to let him go alone. My daughter, Goddess was allowed up there this year which is simply crazy to me. She is so much smaller than my son was when we used to walk him up there, now she is going alone. When she asked this year I told her maybe next year but my husband trumped my year wait and she was told she could go up. Watching her climb the hill and go down the ice rock makes my heart sink each time but would I have thought she was ever really ready? The answer is, probably not! I still cringe when my 5.5 year old, who is the size of a 7 year old goes up. I am happy they are having fun and hopefully these are the things they will remember when they are angry teens who hate us.

Sepia Scenes - A Boy & A Dog

2009-01-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hey join Mary and the rest of the Sepia lovers at Sepia Scenes. Hit the button above!

Isn't it amazing how a change in color can alter the mood of a photo?
This is a picture of my son, holding my friend's dog Tiffany. He wants a dog so bad!

Lens Day Challenge: White - Necture of the God's In Natures Refrigerator

2009-01-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

Join Lensday and join the challenge. This week the theme was was.

Mucho Snow!

2009-01-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Family Foto Fun Friday - Me

2009-01-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Head over to Diana Rambles to play along to her meme Family Foto Fun Friday.

This week's theme is ME

I continue this from my main blog Maria's Space because honestly, how many pictures of me can I have on one blog?

Ok, where was I???

Here I am with my sisters. I am the one wearing white and must be about 5 years old. The puppies were a litter of twelve from our family dog Coco. This must have been big news back then because the paper came out and took pictures and wrote a story about Coco and her family. My sisters and I were all in the paper and felt like celebrities. I should really scan the paper so I can post it.

This was the Christmas before we became a family of 4. I am 6 months pregnant with Goddess and so happy. Finding out I was having a girl was so exciting to me. Here is the story of my baby girl.

As I said on the last post at Maria's Space, now this is huge. Man, I absolutely hate this picture but really this was me. Goddess would be taken by C-section the very next morning (see my pre-registered wrist band). I was so ready to meet my baby girl but scared to leave my son for a few days. Looking at this picture actually makes me ache.

This is me in the beginning of September. I knew that life was just about to get very scheduled and busy so I took a photo of myself relaxing, listening to music on the deck. I love using accent when I shoot black and white. Love my Canon Powershot for this reason.

Here is my family picture taken the end of September 2008 for the kids school. Getting everyone to settle for the photo was annoying but when the school asked for a family photo I realized the last one we took was in April or May. We used to take a family photo weekly for the first 2 months and then monthly. What happened to us? I think everyone got to hard to make sit for a photo. My husband used to be the only problem but now there are two others who can say "no" or "later."

Sepia Scenes - Christmas Morning Videographer

2009-01-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hit the above button to go to the home of Sepia Scenes to enjoy more sepia
photography or to participate.

Here is Handsome this Christmas morning. He was excited to open his gifts but we had to wait 2 hours for his sister to wake up. Don't get me wrong, she is not a late sleeper, Handsome just loves to wake before dawn. His current time is 5:48 a.m. Damn kids!

Wordless Wednesday - Playing in Natural Light

2009-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Monochrome Maniacs - Family Bonds

2009-01-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

I took this picture on Friday of my niece, my daughter and my sister. Every year between Christmas and the kids return to school my family gets together to exchange gifts and catch up.

We usually go to my cousin's house because that is easy for my sister (who takes mass transit) to get there. It is about an hour and a half for me and the visit is usually quite rushed.

My cousin D has 2 children (11 and 13), my sister has 2 (7 & 10) and my 2 are (3 & 5). It is great to get together because there is a natural ease. Honestly, this is the same ease I have with most of my girlfriends. However, this picture of my sister, my niece and my daughter reminds me of the ties that bind my family.

We only see each other 2-3 times a year but the comfort is still there. Look at my daughter's face. She is 3 and you can tell that she loves these two as if she sees them everyday.

Learning Aperture and Shutter Speeds

2009-01-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Since receiving my new camera for Christmas, I am very interested in learning about Shutter speeds and aperture. I don't know anything about photography. I have a vision and I try to capture the feeling I get from the vision in each picture. Other than that everything else may as well be written in another laugage.

My go to site for photo information is DPS (Digital Photography School). I subscribe to their newsletter and look forward to each one.

Here is a article from the last newsletter.

As you increase the size of your aperture (make the hole that you shoot through bigger) you let more light into your image sensor. As a result you will need a shorter shutter speed. In the opposite way if you increase the length of time your shutter is open you decrease the necessary aperture that you’ll need to get a well exposed shot.
Priority Modes

Aperture and Shutter Priority modes are really semi-manual (or semi-automatic) modes. They give you some control over your settings but also ensure you have a well exposed image by the camera making some of the decisions on settings. Let me explain each separately:

Aperture Priority Mode

(often it has a symbol of ‘A’ or Av’ to indicate it’s selected)

In this mode you as the photographer sets the aperture that you wish to use and the camera makes a decision about what shutter speed is appropriate in the conditions that you’re shooting in.
DofPhoto by carpe icthus

When would you use Aperture Priority Mode? - if you remember our tutorial on aperture you’ll see how the main impact that aperture had on images was with regards to Depth of Field (DOF). As a result most people use Aperture Priority Mode when they are attempting to have some control in this area. If they want a shallow DOF (for example in the shot to the right which has the flower in focus but the background nice and blurred) they’ll select a large aperture (for example f/1.4 - as in the example to the right) and let the camera choose an appropriate shutter speed. If they wanted an image with everything in focus they’d pick a smaller aperture (for example f/22) and let the camera choose an appropriate shutter speed (generally a longer one).

When choosing an Aperture keep in mind that the camera will be choosing faster or longer shutter speeds and that there comes a point where shutter speeds get too long to continue to hand hold your camera (usually around 1/60). Once you get much slower than this level you’ll need to consider using a tripod. Also if you’re photographing a moving subject your shutter speed will impact how it’s captured and a slow shutter speed will mean your subject will be blurred).
Shutter Priority Mode

(often has a symbol of Tv or S)

In this mode you as the photographer choose the shutter speed that you wish to shoot at and let the camera make a decision about what aperture to select to give a well exposed shot.

When would you use Shutter Priority Mode? - in our tutorial on shutter speed we talked about how the main impact of different shutter speeds was how ‘movement’ would be captured in your images. As a result most people switch to shutter priority mode when they want more control over how to photograph a moving subject.

For example if they want to photograph a racing car but want to completely freeze it so there is no motion blur they’d choose a fast shutter speed (say at 1/2000 like in the first shot below) and the camera would take into consideration how much light there was available and set an appropriate aperture. If instead you wanted to photograph the car but have some motion blur to illustrate how fast the car is moving you might like to choose a slower shutter speed (like the second shot below which has a shutter speed of 1/125) and the camera would choose a smaller aperture as a result.

Keep in mind that as the camera chooses different apertures it will impact the Depth of Field in your image. This means if you choose a fast shutter speed to freeze your fast moving object that it’ll have a narrower DOF.
Practice

As you can see - Shutter and Aperture Priority modes do give you more control over your images but they do take a little practice to get used to.

As you use them you need to not only think about the setting that YOU set but also keep an eye on the setting that the camera selects for you.

I find that when shooting in Av or Tv modes that it’s often best to bracket your shots and shoot a number of images of the same subject (where you have time) at different settings. This will ensure that you’re likely to get at least one shot which meets your need.

The best way to learn about Shutter priority and Aperture Priority modes is to grab your camera, to head out with it and to experiment. Switch to Av or Tv and start playing with the different settings (taking lots of shots as you go). Particularly watch how the camera makes changes to compensate for your selections and what impact it has upon the shots that you take.

In Aperture Priority Mode take some shots at the largest aperture you can (small numbers) and see how it blurs the background (but also increases the shutter speed) and then head to the other end of the spectrum to take some shots at the smallest aperture you can (large numbers) to see how it keeps more of your image in focus.

In Shutter Priority Mode play with fast and slow shutter speeds and see how that impacts DOF.

Don’t be frustrated if your initial shots are not what you’d expect - it takes practice to get your head around these modes. But keep in mind that when you do master them you’ll have a lot more creative control over your shots. It’s really worth learning this.

DPS is full of interesting information on photography and is written for people like me, with limited knowledge.

[source]

Creative Photography - The Sign Of A Cold January Morn

2009-01-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Sky Watch Friday - Fire In The Sky

2009-01-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

(Hit the button above to be taken to the home of Sky Watch)

I took this photo as the sun was going down. The sky was amazing. I was losing more and more of the redness as I played with the zillion settings on my new camera. It was ridiculous trying to figure out how to capture what I was seeing. This was one of the last pictures I got before running inside freezing. I did nothing to the color and wish I had more pictures.

Head over to my main blog for another picture of this sky

Sepia Scenes - Tea Time

2009-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Click the flower to be taken to Mary's Sepia Scenes

Winning Parent Magazines Holiday Prize Pack this year, was pretty big. I doubt I will win anything this big again. One of the things in my prize pack was a tea press. I have always wanted one and the moment I got the box, it was the first thing I took out.

After brewing the tea, I ripped open one of my wedding favors for the first time. At my wedding in 1997 I gave out tea cups and saucers as favors (did I mention that I am a tea lover?).

I set the pot, the tea cup and saucer on a holiday tray that I have had for years and sat down to enjoy. It was awesome!!! I highly recommend it.

Wordless Wednesday - Parent Magazine Win

2008-12-31T01:01:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - Through The Years

2008-12-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2007

2008-12-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ballet Class for Boys

2008-12-23T07:37:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago the dance instructor in Goddess' class asked if my son wanted to come into the class; after all he spends the entire hour glancing through the door.

He said yes and headed in. When I peeked in at the end of class, the girls and Handsome were all standing in a line facing the mirror doing a routine. He had all the moves and every once in a while he glanced over to Goddess who had her arms crossed around her chest and appeared to be thinking, "Oh hell no! This is my ballet class."

Whenever he looked at her, without missing a step he would say, "dance Goddess, dance."

At the end she walked out and was ready to go. He spent 10 minutes saying bye to everyone. Cute!

Since then he has gone into the class two more times and he loves it. I really can't afford to send him to one other thing but if the teacher wants him in there and I don't have to pay that is fine with me. This can only help his coordination.

Chassé (sha-SAY): when you “chase,” one foot following the other
Pas de bourrée (PAH de boo-RAY): when you move quickly with small, linked steps
Relevé (reh-leh-VAY): when you go up on tiptoe
Rond de jambe (RON de JAHMB): when you circle your leg around, on the ground, or in the air
Cabriole (ka-bree-OLE): when you jump and clap your legs together and apart in the air
Pirouette (peer-WET): when you spin like a top on one leg
Jeté (juh-TAY): when you leap forward from one foot to the other
Sauté (soh-TAY): when you jump straight up in the air
Assemblé (a-sahm-BLAY): when you leap in the air, bring your feet together, and land a ways away
Chaîné (sheh-NAY): when you link turns together
Plié (plee-AY): when you bend your knees
Arabesque (ar-a-BESK): when you stand on one leg with the other leg stretched out in the air behind you

Ruby Tuesday - Even Santa Knows The Reason For The Season Part 2

2008-12-22T17:53:00.001-08:00

Monochrome Monday - Santa Burner

2008-12-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hit the button above to go to Monochrome Monday

This is a photo of an incense burner that was given to me about 10 years ago by my sister-in-law. Santa, is sitting in a chair with a cup in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. Lift up the chair, place the cone incense and the smoke comes through his coffee cup.

My husband and I were big with the incense and candles before kids. Now, Santa just sits next to my wood stove year round.

Sepia Scenes - Snow Bunny

2008-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of my daughter. I love the coat which she only got to wear about 3 times. I love the fingers in the mouth and the big wet lip. This was 2006 and I can't believe how fast everything is going.

Wordless Wednesday - Little People Visit Santa

2008-12-17T03:52:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - The Pantry

2008-12-15T17:46:00.001-08:00

Ruby Tuesday meme can be found by hitting the button above.

I truly love this door. It is the door to my pantry. I love the latch and the handle it reminds me of my grandparents house in Upstate NY. Even if we were to update the kitchen I can't imagine ever changing the door.

As for the hearts. I painted them when I was pregnant with my first baby and planned on putting my kids names on them but still have not done that.

Wordless Wednesday-Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2008-12-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - On the Santa Line

2008-12-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

For the rest of the story and another picture come over here.

1st Watery Wednesday

2008-12-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is my very first Watery Wednesday and I am doing it on Thursday since this is the day I found this meme.

ABC Wednesday - T

2008-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

ABC Wednesday - T Stands for Train. We have always had a train around the tree. This tradition started long before we had kids. We enjoyed it and so did our animals. Watching the kids excitment over it is so much better than watching it with a cat and dog. They watch it go around and around forever.

T also stands for Toys. My daughter is a one women wrecking crew. You know exactly where she has been by the line of toys leading to her.

Wordless Wednesday - Little Boy Blue

2008-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - Baby's First Christmas = 3 Stockings

2008-12-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

The Christmas of 2005 was one of my favorite Christmas'. Seeing my son's stocking next to ours was such a moment for me. I always loved my husband but never felt like we were "family" until we had a baby.

I remember when I took this picture. It was so important to document the 3 stockings next to each other. For so many years it had been just the two of us and now we were 3.

Christmas has always been a favorite holiday but my son reinvented it for me.

Emerald Green Sunday - The Wreath

2008-11-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

For more information on this wreath and how to get one of your own go to my other blog here.

Scenic Sunday Revisited

2008-11-30T05:57:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I had a chance to take some scenic photos. Yesterday I had the camera with me while the family was outside putting up some Christmas decorations.

ABC Wednesday - S - Sleeping Son

2008-11-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

Some might find sleeping photos disturbing but I think they are beautiful. I have an unbelievable amount of photos of my children...ok...and my husband sleeping. It is when people are most vulnerable and their face shows all their innocence. Sleeping faces are usually peaceful faces and their is nothing like a face void of emotion. No anger, fear, sadness, etc, etc. I think it is when people are at their most beautiful.

Wordless Wednesday - Timer Fun

2008-11-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Ruby Red

2008-11-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

Monochrome Monday

2008-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hit the above button to join us at the home of Monochrome Monday

Ruby Tuesday Wordless Wednesday - The Last Leaf

2008-11-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Monochrome Monday - The Steps

2008-11-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last week the kids and I were taken to an awesome spa to spend the day. One of Handsome's classmates, grandmother has a membership to the most beautiful spa. We enjoyed the hot tub while the kids played in the pool. We played racquetball, walked the track, swam in the outdoor pool, it was a wonderful way to spend a day.

I walked upstairs to look around while the kids were having a snack. You can see my shoe at the bottom of the photo. The kids were right below me with "my brother" and his grandmother. My son always says, "he's my brother" when we see them. I constantly remind him that he is his friend not his brother but it really is cute.

Emerald Green Sunday - The Botanicals

2008-11-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping
somewhere cold
Until you find it there and
lead it back home - Evanescence

Sky Watch

2008-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is the view from the pool I was at this week. Beautiful.

Sepia Scenes- The Flowers

2008-11-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday - My Future Readers

2008-11-11T17:41:00.001-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - A Kiss From Me To You

2008-11-10T16:36:00.000-08:00

I adore this picture of my kids. They are very close and spend all their time together. They fight like cats and dogs about 40% of the day and it is photos like this that get me through the craziness. This picture shows the love I hope they have throughout their lives for each other. I especially love the way they are looking at each other.

Press the bug to be taken to the home of Ruby Tuesday

The Attack of the Monday Morning Memes

2008-11-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

I chose to use my daughter this week for all my Monday Meme's on Memories Through Photography. I love how she she is loving herself in this picture.

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In this photo she was so unaware of me taking her picture. I sometimes think this is when kids look the most adorable. There were quite a few kids playing and she was the smallest. She is wondering if she can even attempt what they were doing.

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ABC Wednesday - "P" Pet Store

2008-11-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Sephia Scenes - Throwing Stones

2008-11-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday - The Burning Bush + 2

2008-11-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I bumped up the color a little smidgen but can you blame me? Look at all that red!
Join Mary at Work of the Poet to play along on her Ruby Tuesday Meme. We are a nice group of folks. Submit your Red pics and meet nice people, what more could you ask for?

Monochrome Monday & Manic Monday

2008-11-02T15:30:00.001-08:00

Hit the above button to go to the home of Monochrome Monday
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For Manic Monday, Mo is going with colorful this week. I honestly don't know anything more colorful than Halloween candy.

Hit the button above to go to Manic Monday

Emerald Green Sunday - Little Patch of Green

2008-11-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

There isn't much green left but here is a little patch on October 30, 2008. We get to trick or treat the night before Halloween around here. Twice the fun = twice the candy.

Camera Critters - Batman

2008-10-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Nanananananan Batman....isn't this guy cute? I loved how serious he looked standing there next to his owner, never wavered. The kids got candy from his owner and he just stared at me.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T19:16:00.001-07:00

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-31T12:51:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ruby Tuesday - I See You

2008-10-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

I took my kids to a local farm last week. While there I was on the look out for red for my Ruby Tuesday submission. I did find it, while my son was on the look out, I snapped a photo of looking through a very red telescope.

Emerald Green Sunday - The Splinter

2008-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

We headed to Heaven Farms this past week. We have gone there every year for 3 years. I love taking the kids picture in front of the sign with the tape measure so I can see how big they have gotten. It's the best! They have a sign with the farms name on it, the year and a measuring stick. How cool is that?

This year we were there about 5 minutes when my son acquired an injury that made me want to scoop him up and run not walk to the nearest pediatrician. If he was younger and wouldn't protest I probably would have.

Ok, it was only a splinter it's not like he was cut by some old farm equipment or something but you haven't seen this splinter.

We were in the dried corn boxes (like a sand box but with corn). There were some buckets and pails and my kids were enjoying filling the pails with corn and dumping them. I took a photo of Goddess and noticed my son looking at his finger. When I look at the picture now I see that I actually captured the moment it happened but it is so fuzzy that I won't post it.

I asked him what happened and he said, I hurt my finger. I asked if I could see it. He gave me his hand and I was shocked. There was a huge piece of emerald green painted wood from the corn box under his nail. It was so big! It went right under the nail almost to his cuticle.

I asked if it hurt and he said yes. I told him we should go right to the doctor but he said he wanted to stay. We did. He was fine. I spent the entire time worried about the nail. Would we be able to get it out? Was the wood once an animal pen? Did he need to get a shot for infection? Would we be heading to the hospital?

After about an hour and a half I told them it was time to go. On my way I called the pediatrician and told them I was bringing him in and why.

The doctor did try but nothing. Due to the size he suggested I rush to the ER and have them give him a general, cut the nail and remove it. He also said that my son's shots were up to date and to not let them give him a tentnous shot.

The doc was awesome. Since I don't have medical insurance he didn't charge me, savings of $90.00.

I headed home and called a nurse friend who lives on my street. Her suggestion, it if is not bothering him, leave it alone. Keep it clean and covered and let it work it's way out. The moment there is any sign of infection bring him to the hospital.

The first night he woke up crying. He said his finger hurt and it was hard to console him. He cried silently with his arm over his eyes. He didn't want to be held and kept telling us to leave him alone. My thought was to rush him to the ER right then. The Teach and I were concerned and looked at each other over my son's head. We told each other that we would wait to see how he is in the morning.

The morning came and all was well. It will be a week tomorrow that he got the splinter. There is no redness, puffyness and he hasn't complained at all about pain. We keep it covered, cleaning it every day and re-bandaging the finger. Hopefully in another week we have enough nail growth to see some of the tip of this Emerald Tree. Until then, we wait.

Monochrome Monday

2008-10-26T16:50:00.001-07:00

Notice I didn't use the Rule of Thirds?

I thought placing my subject (my baby girl) in the middle of the twisting tube, added interest.

Camera Critters - The Chinchilla

2008-10-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Picking Pumpkins 2007

2008-10-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is a pictures of Handsome pumpkin picking last year. It's funny to look at this because he has a short sleeve shirt on. The weather this year has made it so that we would have to wear a hat and gloves if we had gone pumpkin picking. We did get to the farm to pick pumpkins never got to the pumpkin patch. More on that when I load the pictures from that trip.

I love looking at the picture because he held this pumpkin for 45 minutes while the friends we were with searched for theirs. When it was time to get on the hayride to go back, he tossed the pumpkin before walking up the steps of the wagon. Why? I have no idea.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-21T20:26:00.001-07:00

I applied an Ortonish them to this picture. I honestly don't know what the hell that means but here is my Wordless Wednesday. This is my son dying to get out of the car and head into his martial arts training.

ABC Wednesday - "N" - NIECE

2008-10-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Want to visit ABC Wednesday, hit the button above

I used picture of my nieces on both my blogs ABC Wednesday's N theme. This is my baby girl, Goddess and my other baby girl. My adorably, sweet niece Sam. Sam and I used to be closer. She spent 2 summers with me and I loved every minute of it. Last year I only got her for 2 nights and this summer not at all. I loved having her here and my kids adore her.

Sam is the kid you want your kids to be around. She is fun, silly, playful and adorable. What's not to love. I have 6 nieces and Sam was the one I was closet to. I think it had something to do with being there from the beginning of her life and not having any children of my own.

I told my niece that if I ever had a girl I wanted her to be just like her. I got my wish. They look alike, act alike and both want to be center stage. Sam feels things very deeply as does Goddess. Sam is a sensitive soul as is Goddess. I hope to get her for a few weeks this coming summer. Hopefully I can work something out with her mother. I miss hanging out with her.

Family is the best and I am glad my daughter has amazing girl cousins to look up to.

Ruby Tuesday - Halloween 2003 & 2005

2008-10-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Join Mary/Teach the brain child behind Ruby Tuesday and post some Ruby Red photos.

These pictures are of my babies. The first one is Handsome in 2003 and he was 5 months old. The second is Goddess in 2005 and she was 6 months old. Yes, they are wearing the same costume only Handsome was about 13 pounds heavier.

They were my little devils and the outfit really, really was fitting for the Goddess.

Emerald Green Sunday & Monochrome Monday

2008-10-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

Hit the button above to be taken to the home of Emerald Green

Enlarge for more detail

I wanted to take some pictures of the lake but all of this grass caught my attention. I snapped about 5 pictures in 2 minutes and got back in the car because it was starting to rain. I am really pleased with them and think they are a wonderful contribution for Emerald Sunday. Hope you like them too.

Monochrome Monday

Click the button above to go to the home of Monochrome Monday to play along or see some amazing pictures.

All photos on this blog can be enlarged for detail.

Here is a photo of my children tossing pebbles into a drain. What you don't do this? I am not sure how long they would do this if I didn't call them away. Usually after 3 minutes I am done but I would be interested to see how long they would last without the me moving them along.

Scenic Sunday - Autumn In NY

2008-10-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

Click the picture above to be taken to Scenic Sunday's home

It was impossible to choose just one picture. This is autumn by me. Beautiful!!

Enlarge photo for detail

Camera Critters - The Lady and The Lady Bug

2008-10-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

My daughter and the ladybug...

If you were curious about last week's creature critter...I have the answer here.

Sky Watch Friday - October Dusk

2008-10-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hit the button to be taken to the home of Sky Watch

Thursday Challenge

2008-10-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

Join the Thursday Challenge here.

Thematic Photographic 20 - Blur

2008-10-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Come here for the home of Thematic Photographic

This photo of my daughter was a pleasant surprise. I was having trouble with my digital camera this day because of the lighting. I missed all the shots because of the lighting as the sun was going down. This was just a hesitation on my camera but what a pearl. Love it!

See my other Thematic Photographic here.

ABC Wednesday - M - Mommy

2008-10-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of me and my children for so many reasons.

1 - This is basically very typical of my day. They love me and hang on me all day. And me, I can't get enough.

2- This is a very unstaged picture. It was taken by my son's speech instructor. She and I were speaking after his session when he got on my back. A few minutes later my daughter climbed on. Beth, stopped talking and asked where my camera was. Having an informal, unstaged photo taken of me and my kids is a rarity. As the photographer of the house, I do a whole lot of self timer photos.

3 - Because my kids look adorable!!

Wordless Wednesday - Childhood

2008-10-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ruby Tuesday - The Red Door

2008-10-13T14:03:00.001-07:00

For more photos of this old church check over here.

See more other Ruby Post here.

Monochrome Monday - The Gift

2008-10-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

My daughter giving me a flower/weed. I love any gift she offers. It may look like a weed to you but to me it might as well be a diamond ring.

Scenic Sunday

2008-10-12T06:27:00.001-07:00

Hit this button to go to the home of Scenic Sunday

Here is the lake painted in Autumn. Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the colors of nature.

Emerald Sunday - The Green Church

2008-10-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hit the button to be taken to the home of Emerald Sundays

This is the little green church. I love the angles, doors and stone that make up this building.

What the Heck Is This? See The Answer Below.

2008-10-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me what this is. I imagine it is some kind of Spinx moth but have been unable to locate it online or at the library. For another picture of this interesting creature. Go to my other blog here.

UPDATE: AFTER MUCH RESEARCH I HAVE INFORMATION ON THIS CREATURE.
It is called a Tiger Swallowtail. Because of it's color I assumed it was a moth caterpillar. It is not, it is in fact a butterfly.

It took forever to find information on this guy. I was searching through archives of moth caterpillars. Doh!

Check out this link for photos of the caterpiller in the various stages and then becoming a butterfly.

Another photo.

Some video

Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar - Funny home videos are a click away

Sky Watch Friday

2008-10-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here is what was going on above.

And below..."Daddy, be careful. You've got to come down. You are going to get hurt."

Check out my other post for Sky Watch here

I Love Our Excursions

2008-10-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

My daughter the Goddess and I get to spend a lot of time together when my son is at school or in therapy. Usually we are sitting at the library or walking around our little town. On this particular day we headed to the bank to make a deposit (woot) and she asked if we could go to the pet store.

Originally I said no but thought better of it and we headed it. Mostly I thought how sad that basically she gets to run a million errands or wait for her brother most hours so why couldn't I do this for her.

I am so glad I did. I adored watching her play with the kittens and walk around the store looking at various animals they have there. We chatted like girlfriends and played and pet the kittens. I loved hearing her talk to the kittens, calling them when they hid under shelves. "Kittens, oh, kittens, where are you?"

She had a blast and I took about 200 photos. We stayed for an hour and bought nothing. I am sure the store hates me but we will be back and she and I can't wait.

ABC Wednesday "L"

2008-10-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Beautiful, majestic Leopard at the Turtleback Zoo.

Lily pads at the Botanical Gardens are always beautiful

The Lion Statue at the Botanical Gardens gets my attention everytime I go.

The Lake where we have spent the last 10 summers reminds me how lucky I am. After 10 years I still find myself elated that I actually get to live here.

Monochrome Monday - The Statues

2008-10-06T18:24:00.001-07:00

Press the button above to be taken to the home of Monochrome Monday

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in
this life has a purpose. - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Most botanical gardens have some wonderful statues. My kids, like myself are amazed by all the statues hidden through the gardens. These are at the far end. We had to walk a long way to get to these beauties but it was well worth it.