Texture Tuesday - For the Love of Scissors

Yup I did it.  I got caught up in this scissor love that our lovely Kim introduced us to.  I guess I am just like a kid, if she has it then I gotta have it.  So I first went searching on Amazon, my go-to place for just about anything from books, bird-feeders and boots.  They seemed to be a might expensive for a "prop".  So my blogging buddy, Kelly  (you might want to hop over to her blog to see her heroic decision for Kids with Cancer campaign) guided me to ETSY.  Oh yes, there they were and for only $7.99 plus a little shipping.  I also found another one that is a little fancier but with lots of character...unfortunately I am still waiting for it to arrive.  Looks like it is coming from China, you know the saying "a slow boat to China".  Anyhoo....who knew you could have a love affair with a pair of scissors.

Joining Kim's Texture Tuesday today.  I used Kim's KK_99 on both images.

Until next time.....

A Four Letter Word is Back...

I am trying to get back in the habit of blogging on a more regular basis, since I seemed to have lost that MOJO I was talking about earlier.  I guess you have to work at your MOJO, it doesn't just re-appear like a lost shoe.  It's like good habits, you have to work at those daily or you can slip into bad habits.  And so it is with writing and photography, it is a practice that needs regular tending.

We did have a touch of spring last week, but Sunday the clouds rolled in with rain and much cooler temperatures and then late yesterday afternoon that dreaded four letter word returned...SNOW. The weathermen had predicted the snow, but said because the weather had warmed up, that surely it wouldn't stick.  Hah, again Mother Nature fooled us.  It stuck and this morning I woke up to winter white again.  But....the sun is shining, and we will return to Spring later this week, albeit not warm it should be back in the 50's/60's.  Springtime in Chicagoland is always fickle so this should not be a surprise to any of us.  I remember the first Spring we arrived here back in the 70's, Easter Sunday was not tulips and daffodils, but snow and cold.   My son with his new white pants blended nicely with the fresh fallen snow, blended yes, looked ridiculous, yes.

My Toby has been fighting an ear infection for about a week.  Kids....took him to the VET last Wednesday and because it was pretty bad and the Doc couldn't quite determine exactly what the bacteria was, it (not his ear, but a swab of the crap that was oozing, have I grossed you out??) was sent to a lab for further analysis.  Now on his 2nd round of antibiotics and over $400 later he is on his way back to good health.  YIPES!!  Thank goodness it's not contagious or I might be looking at another boatload of money for Cinder.  No wonder there are so many dogs out there looking for new owners thru these adoption agencies.  In these tough times, I can imagine the affordability gets too overwhelming for some.  So far I have been able to disguise his meds via peanut butter, but this latest med is a topical ointment, which means getting into that sore ear.  Hmm, wonder how that is going to play out.

 
Hoping your week is gifting you with Spring and all the newness it brings....

Linking to Kim's Texture Tuesday today.

"You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety."   ~Abraham Maslow

Until next time....

A New Word, A New House, and New TV

Did you know that the average amount that a tulip stem "grows" after it's been snipped is 1 inch?  How is that possible?  The flower is phototropic.  Look at that word again....you thought I misspelled photographic.  Well, admittedly they are photographic, but the spelling is correct, it is phototropic meaning it stretches toward sunlight, even when snipped, placed in water and sitting in a lovely vase. So to keep your bunch (of which I bought 2 after church on Sunday....Trader Joe's is just across the parking lot) pert and pretty, rotate your container 180 degrees every day.  This way the tulips won't lean too far in any one direction as they extend to that 1 inch.  And to keep them fresh and and staying longer, trim the stems and change the water daily.

Well, holding my breath, we have had no snow for a few days, every bit of snow is gone from the front yard (replaced with mud that my kids find with no problem) thus presenting me with, you got it, muddy paws.  If Toby weighed a pound heavier I would not be able to pick him up and commence the foot bath in the kitchen sink.  It was while I was giving said foot bath that I spied out the kitchen window the sweet little house finches house hunting.  Or I should say nest hunting.  I have a lot of ivy growing up the sides and under the eaves of the screen porch and it appears that they may put on option down on a spot under the eaves.

Mr. was already gathering bits to begin the furnishings, a sure sign of Spring.  Boy I did a rotten job of clean-up last fall.  That is a double dead hanging planter that the Mr. is helping himself to.  Well at least it is getting some use after hanging around all winter.  

Have you watched any of those new TV shows that started a week or so ago....Resurrection is one and the other is Believe?  Resurrection has me curious and Believe leaves me exhausted after all the running and hiding.  And then "Dancing With The Stars" is making it's appearance again for the 17th time. But I gotta admit here I am having some trouble with who is the star and who is the dancer.  So many faces I don't recognize, but both of those Olympic ice skaters can move around the dance floor as beautifully as they did on the ice.  Derek's partner (he is one of my favs) the lady that had both legs amputated, amazing.  And I also have to say that Erin Andrews does a bang up job with co-hosting.  Hint....tape it and watch it without all those dang commercials. The 2 hour show can slide into 1 hour with omitting all the ads and the extras.

Hope you are having a star studded week, and Spring is making an appearance in your world.

"Life is your art. An open, aware heart is your camera. A oneness with your world is your film."   

~Ansel Adams

Until next time....

Big Changes

Hmm, I came from this....

to this...

and then again this...

to this in less than 24 hours.

Not only did the temperature change....drastically I might add, but my overall attitude went in the toilet.  I wish I could say that the effects of the 10 days of sun and fun would have managed to hang on and last me thru the rest of the winter, but it didn't take my attitude long before it began to grumble just like the rest of the folks around here.  Putting on boots, gloves, heavy coat, & muffler just to drag the garbage can to the curb for Tuesday pick-up is a drudge.  I know, I know I am definitely whinning, and I know there are many out there that did not have a chance to get away, I know there are many that battle the elements daily (ie: the garbage pick-up crew) but I am being honest...this winter absolutely sucks.

The "kids" love to be outside, but it doesn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes before both are hobbling back up the sidewalk, limping because their little paws are so cold.  So I am sure they echo my sentiments.  I think the look on their faces pretty well sums up our present conditions.

OK, enough of the grumbling, moaning, & complaining, now is the time I need to stop and think of all the good and the blessings in my life....hmm, having to dig a little deeper, my attitude seems to be blocking those thoughts right now or maybe they are just "frozen" along with everything around me.  Oh stop it, now I am just rambling negative thoughts.  

OK...a little positive, here are a couple of "doors from the Barrio" in Tucson where my blogging buddies and I spent a wonderful day wandering around taking pictures of these fabulous doors.  I did a whole blog post on these on my collaborative blog here if you would like to see more (I know I was in much better spirits too).

Love the cat in the window....linking this to Kim's Texture Tuesday.  Used her Marabelle texture

This is so typical of the type of doorways you will find in this area, painted a bright color, crumbling brick, old doorknobs, a photographer's dream.  Who gets excited when they spy peeling paint...ok, raise your hand high.

OK, I am in a better mood already, just knowing that I have all these wonderful memories of such a grand time along with almost 2,000 pictures to prove it.

"The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention." ~  Susan Salzberg 

Until next time....

Beginning With Texture Tuesday

Each month over at my collaborative blog Focusing On Life where I contribute twice a month, we choose a "word" or "theme of the month."  I always start the year and this year my choice was "Beginnings".  In my thought process I imagined that this would be the perfect word for the brand spankin' New Year.  Let's not do resolutions, because you know we all seem to fail miserably at those, but beginnings was a kinda of guilt-free way to think about what kind of new beginnings would I like to do during the year.

Well, I definitely have not been the poster child for "beginnings" as now it is the 14th day into this new year and my Christmas tree, is still fully dressed and still standing proudly, lighting every evening by 4:30.  By this time, and usually by the 1st week of January all the Christmas beauties have been tucked neatly into their bins and put away for another year.  I have been draggin' my feet all year, literally.

About the only new beginning I have done for this year, is make the decision to let my hair grow longer and I started a new book.  Now both of those are truly momentous....wrong.  I will admit to having most every other Christmas pretty packed into boxes, it's just the tree that is still standing. My only excuse is I needed a new ornament box for storage and I dragged my feet about getting to the stores, now they are all sold out.  That procrastination pattern took over again, and now I am stuck with figuring out how to store those beauties.

Oh yawn, this is getting boring.  The above pic was taken with my 50mm and the lovely ranunculus was purchased to brighten my attitude.  I added one of Kim Klassen's lovely textures that she continues to share with us even after the struggles and year that she has had, KK_100 and am now joining her over at her blog for Texture Tuesday.

I hope you have a lovely day....

"The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keep out the joy." ~  Jim Rohn

Until next time....

I Found An Angel At Home Depot...

OK, you know that my whole family will be here for Thanksgiving, right (altho my sweetie will be here in spirit only)....and my dining room is rather smallish...in fact my living room - dining room is just one big room and not really all that big anyway.  The only thing that separates each room is furniture.  So I am trying to figure out how I could possibly fit the 9 of us around my dining room table that really only seats 6 comfortably.  And since this is our first, since my son got married, Thanksgiving together I didn't think a "kids table" in the family room would be the answer, in fact it wasn't even a consideration.  So what to do??  Well, I came up with this brilliant idea, I do that sometimes, not often but sometimes....to just place a large piece of plywood on top of my existing table and extend the size of it.  So I called Home Depot and talked to this really nice guy on the phone....you know, "let your fingers do the walking" before making a trip because the closest Home Depot is about 30 minutes, OK 20 minutes if my foot gets heavy on the accelerator. He suggested instead of plywood, particle board, it's sturdier and smoother than plywood.

OK, plan in action...drive to Home Depot, then what.  The particle board is 48x96 way, way to big for my car.  OK I was really thinking hard about how I was gonna get this large board home....probably going to have to bribe one of the kids across the street to drive down and pick it up.

As I entered the store a man with a Home Depot Orange vest just happened to be walking by the front door, how many times does that happen??  I asked him if he could show me where the particle board was.  He was guiding me to the spot just as another man was trying to load two pieces onto a cart, struggling, the Home Depot guy rushed over to help him before he and the boards toppled over.  As I see this big burly man struggling, I am thinking, Deanna what in the world were you thinking....no way on God's green earth are you going to be able to handle this. So you know, shy me, began talking to both of them, explaining my Thanksgiving table plan and they both agreed that it was a grand idea, but there was no way I could possibly get it into my car.  Mr. Home Depot man asked me where I lived and then instructed me to go to the Pro-Contractor Counter and tell them my tale and ask them for any "suggestions" they may have for me.  He just repeated that again....ask them for any "suggestions" they could give me for getting this home.

OK, I will do as instructed.  Walked up to the contractor's counter, an Asian lady was ringing up the purchases from an Hispanic man's cart filled with obviously stuff he needed for a job he was completing.  Now, neither one spoke clear English, the Asian lady had a very heavy accent as well as the Hispanic man, but they were both conversing together with no problem, I seemed to be the one with the problem of understanding.  The Asian lady asked if she could help me, and I explained to her what Joe (yes, I knew the orange vest guy's name, so observant that I am, it clearly was printed on his name tag) said about any "suggestions" they might have in helping me get this particle board home.  She looked at me rather oddly, which I would have done the exact same thing, and I repeated it again.  With that, the Hispanic man asks me where I lived, I told him and he said, no problem, he was going that way, he had a truck and would gladly drive it home for me.  The Asian lady says...."Lorenzo's a good guy." so they obviously knew each other.

We loaded up and I led the way with Lorenzo and my particle board in his truck behind me. As I was driving home, I began thinking about what a kind gesture for this man who had never set eyes on me before, did for me out of the goodness of his heart...we talk about angels around us and he was just the angel I needed at that very moment.  I was really touched by his kindness, in fact it brought tears to my eyes.  I was trying to wipe them away before arriving home, I didn't want Lorenzo thinking I was some silly weepy woman.  But that kind of kindness really tugged at my heart.  We arrived at my home, he backed into the driveway, unloaded it into the garage, making sure it would not tip and was ready to leave when I handed him some money.  He really did not want to take it, seemed totally surprised when I offered it.  I asked if he was married, yes, then I said, take your wife out to lunch, he kinda rolled his eyes, got in his truck and my angel drove away.  For the angels who find us when we need them the most, for that I am grateful.

I still had grocery shopping and more errands to complete so off I went again, stopping long enough to snap a couple of pics of the snow that was falling.  It tends to make everything look a little magical and I was in that light-hearted mood after my particle board angel happening.

  
Within a week I have had a Leaf Fairy rake all my leaves and an angel appear with a truck...can't get much better than this....for these moments in my life I am truly thankful and blessed!!

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."~  Marcel Proust 

Linking to Kim's 

Until next time....

  

I Can Hear You Groaning....

I know I can hear you groaning saying...what is she doing already posting Christmas mugs?  Well you know I have a "thing" for mugs & cups, especially Christmas ones.  As I walked through Hobby Lobby picking up some extra ornaments for the Christmas Tree I decorated for one of the "raffle" prizes for the Advent Tea, I came across this little guy.  Now I ask you, how can you resist that?  And ofcourse he was 50% off, even more of an enticement.  Between Hobby Lobby and Home Goods I keep my cupboards overflowing with those irresistible cups and mugs.  Drinking my coffee each morning and afternoon, I delight in sipping that warm drink from a pretty cup or mug, it just makes it taste delumptious and it makes me happy, for that I am grateful.

And yes, my leaves are still on the ground, I have been so busy lately that they are still laying exactly where the fell....and yes, those are my pj's and slippers, after my sketcher's go walks, these are my 2nd favorite foot covering attire.

And  yes, it frosted last night.  Feeling really bad and praying for those that are still without electricity and especially for those that lost their homes in our recent storms...

Linking with Kim for Texture Tuesday....

"Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness."  ~  Kahlil Gibran

Until next time....

Thank You From the Bottom of My "Textured" Heart

Just as I was uploading this image I received an email from Kim Klassen sharing 3 new textures with us.  Today I am focusing on those that share their talents so willingly, especially Kim.  I began following Kim shortly after I joined my first Tracey Clark "Picture Classes" I am guessing 4 or 5 years ago.  Kim was one of the many participants that added her photos to the class, I immediately fell in love with her "style" of adding textures to a photo.  I just thought they were so "cool" and ofcourse wanted to know more and more about this new addition to photography.

Over the years Kim has shared 100's of textures that she creates, most of them are FREE, has shared her knowledge of how to work with textures on her website and created classes that are filled with her knowledge of photography, Photoshop, PSE, Lightroom and her work process. She is constantly giving away her time and her talents to us out here in the blogland/internet world.  She continues her generosity even with her husband's illness which has been a life-changing experience for her, her husband, John and their family.

I even had the privilege of meeting and spending time with Kim last year in Palm Springs for a 4 day Tracey Clark event, bringing together photographers from all over, spending time together, learning & playing together.  And yes, she is as nice, caring & loving as you would expect.  Soft spoken, unassuming and so very lovely.  So, today I am grateful to Kim Klassen, an amazing, gifted and generous person.  Thank you from the bottom of my little "textured" heart!!

Until next time.....

"The Father's Day Tree"

Thirty-five years ago this month right before Thanksgiving we moved into our new home.  It was brand spankin new with no grass, no trees, no shrubs or flowers....nothing.  As any new homeowner with very little money, we began slowly with our plantings.  We planted several trees that just didn't make it, absolutely poor planning on our part, we were such novices.  I don't really remember the year we purchased the Maple tree that still stands tall in our front yard, but I do remember it was a Father's Day present to my sweetie that year.  I still remember it as "The Father's Day Tree", not sure if that was exactly what he wanted that year, but as it grew he was almost like a proud Papa watching his child grow.  Now it provides our home with an immense amount of shade in the summertime, both a curse (had to change my sun garden into a shade garden and absolutely no grass will grow underneath its branches) and a blessing (keeps the house so cool, using far less electricity when the air-conditioner is on than some of our neighbors).  So today my gratitude is my trees....particularly the Father's Day Tree in the front yard, which btw, is dropping all of it's bright yellow leaves as I write this, requiring much needed raking.  (I did mention curse, didn't I? giggle)  

Even Cinder enjoys the leaves....(she will be a gratitude post soon)

They gather in the bird baths....

They fall on the lawn chairs....

And a few still hold on....

What are you grateful for today??

How to have a good day....Step 1 Wake Up   Step 2 Be Grateful  - REPEAT

Joining Kim for...

   And Life in Reflection for....
          
                                                    
Until next time.....

Coming Down Off of the Mountain....

I am trying, really trying to get back into the swing of everyday living. After being gone for a week, experiencing the sights of an absolutely beautiful place, it is really quite difficult to come down from those mountains, both physically & mentally.  How many times in my life will I see sunrises like this??  Hopefully again and again.   

I am back now re-adjusting, unpacking, washing the dirty clothes, and dreaming of that time spent up in the mountains.  And while I have been slowly re-entering everyday life I did snip off a branch of my "new" tree and it does have some beautiful color in its leaves.

The apples have just about all fallen to the ground.....I did manage to snap this one and add Kim's lovely Jamal texture to enhance it.  I kinda like the way it looks with the texture added.

Linking to Kim & Nancy

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."~ H. G. Wells

Hope you all are having a glorious week!

Until next time.....