Karren's photography journal

The grandkids did what???

2012-02-12T00:02:00.002-07:00

The kids ate where? In the living room?

They did what when they were eating???? They watched Cat in the Hat? Who is this Grandma person who did not allow their parents to do such things????

Stick on Nails

2012-02-10T23:19:00.003-07:00

Such fun......What little girl wouldn't love these?

Birthday Flowers

2012-02-09T18:49:00.004-07:00

My husband bought this beautiful plant for me. There is no tag on it, so I do not know what it is. It stands about 18" tall. He also gave me my favorite candy (From Germany)
and two photography books. I can 't wait to dive into those.

When I was 16 years old, I started giving my mother flowers on my birthday. The past four years now, I have had to take them to the cemetary. Given the time of year, they are silk, but I picked some of her favorite ones. Lilacs, tulips, and roses. I might seem silly to some, but it makes me feel good to do this. It was raining softly when I took both of these photos.

Moon

2012-02-08T23:14:00.003-07:00

Today is my birthday. I do not have time tonight to even upoad the photos I took, so I will do that tomorrow. This one was actually taken last night. The moon had some color around it. The clouds were so different and pretty , but as you can see, I do not know how to photograph the moon. I realize a tripod and longer exposure could have made a good difference but I did not take time to play with it. So the sky is dark and the moon is blown, but I still like it.

Run, Gracie, Run....

2012-02-07T20:00:00.003-07:00

Gracie zips around the backyard as if it were a race track. You can see how dry the grass is.
I am actually thinking about watering it. I did water the roses and the trees. I don't remember a winter like this...of course I don't...this is the dryest winter in recorded history for SLC, which takes in 70 something years.

Rory's Princess Make-over

2012-02-05T22:38:00.006-07:00

Rory is a second cousin to the darling little princess I featured yesterday. Rory was at

her birthday make-over party. Here she is getting her hair curled.

She was pretty happy with her Topsy Turvy Princess ponytails.

I love this one.... she is admiring her hair and fingernails. I wish I could post photos of all 13 of the darling little girls. This was the perfect party for the little princesses.

Happy 5th birthday

2012-02-04T18:48:00.004-07:00

This is my little great-niece. She is a gorgeous little girl. She had her 5th birthday party today and I was able to go and get pics of her with her friends. They went to a beauty school where they all had princess make-overs. Here she is all finished up with hair, nails and make-up.

Her hair is down past her behind, and it is thick and heavy, so it took awhile for the curling.

Next came the nails

All finished with hair and nails...ready for the makeup

If she's not a beautiful princess, then I've never seen one! Rapunzel....you better get out of town, because here comes the princess with the real hair.

Two Cuties

2012-02-03T17:45:00.004-07:00

I had not intended to take their photos today. But then...they looked so cute in their petti dresses. In my rush to get them together before Avi bolted out of the room, I managed to do some pretty awesome limb chops. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Plus, tomorrow is a special occassion, so be sure to take a peek back here.

Once Upon A Time....

2012-02-02T22:48:00.001-07:00

In the windy tree top

2012-02-02T12:33:00.003-07:00

This is yesterday's photo. I forgot to post it last night. It was so windy that I worried about this guy up in the neighbor's tree. There is rain and snow today. I was hoping for enough snow to produce a good picture today, but I doubt it is going to happen. If I get really desperate I can always drive ten min to the East, and there it is. I was there in it this morning, but of course I didn't have a camera with me. I should know by now to never leave home without it...right?

Avonlea

2012-01-31T21:12:00.003-07:00

I was trying to get a laughing shot because Avi has the cutest little expression when she laughs. I do like this shot, but a lamp in the room gave a real reddish cast to her hair, so I cropped it in. Then I softened everything but her eyes and her lips so they would stand out more.

Little Stinker!

2012-01-30T21:18:00.002-07:00

I was sorting baby clothes by size for my daughter. Gracie jumped into one of the piles, and was having great fun until I got the camera. She was going to take off, but told her to stay, so that's why her ears are perked up and she's got this funny look on her face.

Block tower

2012-01-29T12:37:00.002-07:00

Guess who came to breakfast?

2012-01-28T12:32:00.002-07:00

I cringed when I saw 20 month old Avi dunk her puppy's face into her cereal, but like I did with my own children, I ran for the camera.

Birds

2012-01-27T17:23:00.002-07:00

I went out to see what all the noise was about......probably 200 birds in this tree across the street. My camera frightened them and most of them flew away before this shot...the thing that caught my eye was one Robin, which is unusual this time of year.

Can you see him? He is highlighted below. I have always thought the first Robin was a sure sign of Spring, but it's a bit early. I noticed this morning however, that it is getting lighter, earlier in the mornings. Don't you just love the first signs of Spring?

Where's the snow?

2012-01-27T00:25:00.003-07:00

Old Man Winter has eluded us this year....It feels good, but actually, it is not good.

Too, Too CUTE!

2012-01-25T20:08:00.003-07:00

I found this cute lace romper today. I plan to take Avi's 2 year photo in it, in the Spring.

The headband is the cutest of all! The trick will be getting her to leave it on her head. Any suggestions?

I love this little face

2012-01-24T22:12:00.003-07:00

She agreed to let me take her photo....wearing a cute hat. However, she pulled it off as fast as I could put it on. So here is the messy hair shot I got. She's adorable anyway.

Pretty nails

2012-01-23T20:00:00.003-07:00

This photo was taken a week ago, and today, I tried a new editing program. I did take photos today, but they did not work out too well. I was trying to get a shot of the debate off of the TV screen. I could pause it and get one...but live, I was not successful, and now I have no more time to work on a photo so this is it! Anyway...she is much cuter than those four candidates on the TV.

Front porch....Back porch

2012-01-22T18:49:00.002-07:00

Here in the Salt Lake valley, I am surrounded by mountains. The Wasatch range is to the east of us, and is very close. I did zoom in here, from my front porch, to get a good shot of the "Snow Bra". The snow is a little sparse...they are generally mostly white this time of year. They did get a couple feet of snow yesterday. All of the ski areas are happy with the new powder.

This is from my back porch looking West. The Lasalle mountains are not as tall, and are farther away. This is where the well-known Bingham Copper mine is located.

Rain.....

2012-01-21T19:33:00.004-07:00

We were promised some snow today. It did snow for a couple of hours, but it was preceeded by lots of rain and the snow eventually turned to rain again. I was out shopping, and on my way home, I had some fun with the PS I carry with me. I was of course stopped at lights each time I grabbed a shot.

This was kind of fun....I had a cool one of a fire engine, but accidentally deleted it! I turned my wipers off to get the rain drop reflections. My thirsty lawn is happy tonight! We have actually had to water the trees and the roses. This is Utah's driest and warmest winter on record, and I believe that goes back more than 70 years.

Pretty fabrics

2012-01-20T18:23:00.004-07:00

My daughter chose these fabrics to make some new covers for her couch pillows. so pretty, I decided to grab a shot of it.

Doggie here...doggie there....

2012-01-19T19:54:00.005-07:00

This is Grady. He is a true Pound Puppy. My granddaughter rescued him from the shelter, about a year ago...I forget exactly. They are on vacation, so Grady is staying here with us for five days. He is a miniature Long haired Dachshund. He had a very bad haircut a few weeks ago and still looks pretty bad, but he really is a sweet and pretty little dog. I will not mention his behavior today......Uh-hmmmm.

Here we have the three beggars. I though this one was cute with my little Gracie, peering over the edge of the table. They were hoping for a handout from Avi.

Watching Baby Einstein

2012-01-18T19:26:00.003-07:00

I was playing with my camera because, believe it or not, I just discovered that it has settings for sharpness, color, etc. so I experimented with the sharpness setting.
To be perfectly honest.... I took this one yesterday. I have suffered for four days with a dislocated shoulder. I got it taken care of yesterday, but I am still so sore that I took a break from the camera today.

Four year old excitement

2012-01-17T21:21:00.002-07:00

She was so excited with the two coats of nail polish that she chose...hot pink with a top coat of glitter!! All of this excitement was followed with dancing around, looking in the mirror, and many joyful exclamations about how happy she was feeling. I love to see the reactions of children, and often wonder when it happens that we do not experience such joy in simple things anymore. I keep laughing to myself, thinking about how, if I reacted with this childlike exuberance, my day would go. For example.... "Wow! I have some Chocolate mini wheats left! Yippee!!! I will have those for breakfast." Or....this download actually worked......I will do three summersalts! I will twirl around till I am dizzy and laugh when I fall down. I think we get over it because if we acted that way we would break something. LOL! On the other hand, it is a great lesson on gratitude.

Fun with the Ark

2012-01-16T17:42:00.004-07:00

I know you are in there somewhere......

What does the Alligator say? Arrrrgh! of course!

Engineer Rory

2012-01-15T19:16:00.002-07:00

Today, my husband, spent a little time setting up his Thomas Train in an empty bedroom at our daughters old house. She moved a week ago, and it is the perfect play spot. Rory and Grandpa had a good time. She built this little tunnel all by herself!

Sweet Avonlea

2012-01-14T15:16:00.003-07:00

I love her little profile, and her soft cheeks. She is so curious and always investigating things.

Here she is watching her daddy put her car seat in his car.

War Horse

2012-01-13T23:31:00.008-07:00

It's my husband's birthday today, so we went out to dinner and a movie. We do not agree on movies. However, way back , months ago, when I first saw previews to this movie, I knew it would be one both of us would enjoy. It is not often that an audience rises and claps at the end of the movie, but the full house did just that tonight, and rightfully so. If you have not seen it...put it on your list of things to do. It is wonderful.

Happy birthday to my husband, Ralph.

2012-01-12T21:53:00.002-07:00

OK...so I am one of those who was never going to fall for all the hype about Pinterest......that is until I checked it out. I have to discipline myself to about 10 mnutes a day. I absolutely love all of the great organization, and decorating ideas....also the things to do with children. Today, I got a good hard laugh with this poster of the Dachshund! See, if laughter really is the best medicine, then Pinterest is good for my health. :-)

Too little, Too late

2012-01-11T23:11:00.002-07:00

I put too little effort into a photo today, and I began looking for something too late in the day...like dark, in a park. It was not much of a sunset...a tiny glow in the dark blue sky.
Taken with a PS on top of all that! LOL!

After the edit... I kind of like this one. The tree was under a lamp, and the tree and the grass came out this color....the tree is OOF. I do not know if this would qualify as artsy or just junky! Ha ha. Tomorow will be better.

Little dog Lost

2012-01-10T21:26:00.003-07:00

Tonight, after grocery shopping, I let my dogs out while I was unloading groceries from the car. When I finished, I called them inside, and Oscar did not come. He is old, and doesn't see too well anymore. I was woried sick about him outside in the dark, and I searched the whole yard while I was calling him. He always comes immediately. He was in the car!!! He is so fat, I don't know how he even jumped into the car. Anyway, I was extremely relieved to find him safe and sound.

Winter Yarrow

2012-01-09T13:32:00.003-07:00

I wish I had taken this photo a couple of days ago, when the snow was piled up higher on the heads. I find this Yarrow plant fascinating in all seasons

Nite Nite

2012-01-08T22:35:00.003-07:00

Lucky shot

2012-01-07T18:29:00.002-07:00

I was just adjusting the camera settings and was not expecting any great photo, and look what I got.......a really natural smile, and a sweet photo that I LOVE !

Last time in the crib

2012-01-06T23:53:00.005-07:00

It was sort of a bittersweet day today. My daughter who has lived next door to me for over 4 years, is moving tomorrow. Little Avonlea, is nearly 20 months old and getting out of her crib, so the move is the perfect time for her to be in her youth bed in the new place. Her nap today was her last time in her crib. I finally took a few minutes to think about my photo and snapped a bunch of them in the crib, asleep and awake, and some playing with her sister. I actually woke her up with the picture taking. I waited until she was about to wake up, so she didn't miss much sleep. I love her sweet contentment here.

She and her sister, Rory, are such sweet little girls. They are very afffectionate. I love how they are kissing here.

My Kindle

2012-01-05T22:46:00.003-07:00

I got an Android tablet for Christmas, and I didn't like it, so I got a refund and decided on the Amazon Kindle Fire. I bought it yesterday and took a few minutes to set it up tonight. I believe I am going to like it.

Sillouettes

2012-01-04T22:08:00.003-07:00

My daughter is moving Saturday and she really wants to hang new sillouette photos of herself and her little girls on the wall of her new place. SO...we finished them up tonight. This is really poor light I had here. They are in 8x10 frames....they turned out beautiful, this photo doesn't do them justice. I will take another when they are on the wall and I have better light. Rather than a white background she chose a muted print and it looks cool.

Reflection in the mirror

2012-01-03T19:39:00.004-07:00

Here it is only the 4th day of the new year, and I am already scrambling the last minute to find something to photograph. We always hang lights on the living room curtain. I had a string of stars that finally gave up the ghost this year, so we replaced them with snowflakes. I like them so much that I have not taken them down yet. I like how they are reflecting in this antique mirror. They are apparently the only snow we are going to see for awhile.

Wish Me Luck......

2012-01-02T21:48:00.004-07:00

I do not know how many years it has been since I actually made a new years goal to lose weight. Those things generally do not ever work out. I have thought about this long and hard, and I HAVE to do something about my weight, and do it NOW. I could lose 30-35 lbs.

I decided on the "Flat Belly diet", simply because I know it works, and everything is easy to prepare, even when I am really busy. I just returned from shoping and decided to make it my photo of the day before I put everythng away. So, by posting it on here, I have an extra incentive to do this once and for all. I will take a before picture, but I will not post it until I can put the after picture with it in a few months.

Have a Doggone......

2012-01-01T23:03:00.002-07:00

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T23:56:00.002-07:00

I just wrote my last entry into my journal. I will start a new page tomorrow. I was happy to end 2011. It has been a really tough year for me. Major sorrows, physical challenges, and pain. I am hoping for a better year in 2012. Photography is a bright spot in my life. I do not feel like I improved a great deal in 2011, so one of my goals is to study and learn more about Photography and especially editing.

Oma's Posterity

2011-12-29T13:38:00.005-07:00

At the cemetary yesterday, We took a photo of the entire family. My in-laws have 60 something decendants now. Not in this photo were one or two babies asleep in the car, one grandson was out of the country, another could not attend, and one of their sons, and a granddaughter preceeded him in death. This group is just their four children and their children, and grandchildren. Scroll down for the section that is just my family.

My husband, children and grandchildren make up a big hunk of the total. If we live to the age of his parents, we may just see a large group like this one. His dad was just 2 1/2 months away from 100, when he passed away on Christmas Eve. My mother in Law is almost 94.

Oh Holy Night

2011-12-25T22:46:00.004-07:00

About three years ago, I saw this little nativity in a store and I have wanted it ever since. It is precious in every detail ......children dressed up in costumes...depicting the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Our daughter, Heidi, got us started on it this year, with the Holy family and the boy holding the star. I added the little shepherd boys. It is so adorable, I cannot stop looking at it. I just had it up on top of a doll cabinet this year, where it is safe from little hands.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I'll Be home For Christmas

2011-12-25T00:14:00.003-07:00

This is my husband, (in santa hat) his two brothers, and sister along with their parents.

this was taken two years ago. His dad passed away this morning. (Dec 24). He would have been 100 years old on March 14.

The Owl And The Pussycat

2011-12-23T21:04:00.003-07:00

One of my DIL's has a friend who makes these cute little animals. She is making sure that all of her nieces and nephews get one. When I saw these two sitting together today, I decided it would be my photo. Today is my mother's birthday and I went to the cemetery with decorations, but then decided this is a fitting photo too, because my mom had a poem collection that she worked on for years. The "Owl and the Pussycat" is in there......I grew up with poems that mom recited and read to me. I always loved this one as a child.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are,

What a beautiful Pussy you are.

"Pussy said to the Owl "You elegant fowl,

How charmingly sweet you sing.

O let us be married, too long we have tarried;

But what shall we do for a ring?

"They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-tree grows

,And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

With a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?"

Said the Piggy, "I will"

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon.

And hand in hand on the edge of the sand.

They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

........Edward Lear

Grandchildren

2011-12-22T17:21:00.003-07:00

We had our immediate family Christmas last night. With two sons working for the airlines, we were lucky to find a day when they could both be there. Three more granddaughters are out of state and couldn't be with us, but here I am with the nine who live close.

Bokeh

2011-12-21T22:11:00.005-07:00

This light tree had to be at least 40 feet high. This is just the top of it.

Here it is again from a greater distance

Look closely, and you can see the tree again. This one is from the train station, and the tree is just to the right of center. On the left are little purple trees, and in the right foreground are passengers waiting for the train.

I like the look of this little lantern, and the tree bokeh behind it.

Temple Square

2011-12-20T22:45:00.003-07:00

We have a yearly tradition of riding the train to Temple Square to see the Christmas Lights. It was 25 degrees out there tonight, and the crowds were unbelievable. Literally shoulder to shoulder. As a result, I did not do the creative things I had intended. I never set up the tripod....everything was hand held with no timed exposures.

I love this bronze statue of a woman playing with her children. Lifesize, it is named "A Joyful Mother of Children. It was fun to capture it as a sillouette.

This is a nativity out on the Reflection pool. I think this one turned out well in spite of the crowds. They all fell into the shadows, except for a small group there on the left, and I actually like the way they look.

The Christus Statue inside the Visitors center. Some day I want to capture the reflection of this in the huge windows. It superimposes itself onto the Temple and the beautiful lighted grounds below. The crowds were too thick for me to work on that. Tomorrow, I will post the bokeh shots I got tonight.

More Puppy Sweetness

2011-12-19T21:18:00.003-07:00

My neighbors are the cutest couple....they raise Samoyd's. These puppies are 4 weeks old now. One of them is sold. The three on the bottom of the collage, are the only ones available, so they are the only ones I took individual photos of. They are absolutely adorable!

Becky

2011-12-18T22:33:00.009-07:00

My daughter needed an updated photo, so we went out in the frigid temperatures for a few. This was my favorite. She often gets comments about her hair color. This is her natural color. I have always loved it.

First Dance Recital

2011-12-18T00:15:00.005-07:00

Today was Rory's very first ballet recital. She is the second from the right in the group photos. In the bottom left photo she had just got makeup on for the first time and didn't quite know what to do with her lips. Top left, she's holding her dress out so it will look extra pretty. Bottom right they are dancing to Jingle Bells, and she is really giving it all she's got. Top right is one of my favorites. She is not scared of anything... She went right up on the stage as soon as the program ended and danced around all by herself. I used a flash on that one, and it created a shadow, but I like it. Looks like I need to adjust the color...too tired right now!

First Finger Painting

2011-12-15T22:43:00.003-07:00

Her little dance class had a Christmas party/ gift exchange, and finger paint was her gift. It was lots of fun. I should have snapped the final few minutes.....I'll just say that she really got in to it!!!

Snowing on Frosty

2011-12-14T16:47:00.003-07:00

I love this little glittery snowman that I have in a winter scene in my home. I moved him to a little stool to get the tree bokeh behind him, and I added the snow in the editing. I like the opportunities to play with photos during the Christmas season.

The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-12-13T20:48:00.004-07:00

This is my granddaughter, Cessna. She performed as a candy cane in the Nutcracker last night. She is the one on the right. This was actually the curtain call, not the performance. yesterday was also her birthday. She is nine.

Posing for me after the show. She is an extremely sweet girl. So one of the dozen or so candy canes was a perfect fit for her! I cranked the ISO up as far as it goes 3200....and the pics are very grainy.

Moments Before the Nutcracker

2011-12-13T00:01:00.003-07:00

We went to see my granddaughter perform in a ballet school nutcracker tonight. While we were waiting for the show to begin, I was watching ten adorable little girls between 3-5 years old waitng to open the show, and couldn't resist snapping a photo.

The tree is up!

2011-12-11T21:17:00.003-07:00

I finally got our tree up today. I still have a big mess, and other things to put up, but I am happy to be this far.

At my daughters house, I was playing with some photos trying to get the sparkle.

Got it!

Song Bird Ornaments

2011-12-07T22:31:00.004-07:00

Girls night out for myself, one daughter, and three DIL's. We started a candy making tradition last year, but we added a craft this time. This idea came from a blog post that my daughter came across, from 2009

http://livingtheswelllife.blogspot.com/2008/12/tree-trimming-tutorial.html

I must say we improved the project considerably. They are two sided. These we cut out of thin wood, on the scroll saw, and we embellished them with glitter, jewels and feathers. Hangers were made from sparkly ribbon, and colored wire. It was tons of FUN!!! I was missing my daughter who lives out of state. I must have a little herding dog in me......I like my family to all be together.

One DIL had to leave before we all finished, because she had a long drive home.......these are hers.

Mezermized By The Muppets

2011-12-06T22:57:00.002-07:00

Poor little Avi had a rough day with a bad cold. Here she is forgetting about her
problems while she enjoys the Muppet Family Christmas. She has taken a liking to Miss Piggy, and she laughed whenever she was on the screen.

Rory and her Mommy

2011-12-03T01:03:00.002-07:00

You all know Rory....here she is on her birthday a month ago with her sweet mom. I decided to do this edit, rather than show more Christmas ornaments, or the Christmas dinner at the church. I took pics today, but this one is much nicer to look at! :-)

CHoo Choo! 2011 Ornaments are here!

2011-11-30T09:13:00.010-07:00

Every year, I make an original Christmas ornament for every grandchild. They aways have a photo on them that I took that year. I started 19 years ago when My first granddaughter, Danielle, was born . This year marks 20 years of crafting Christmas ornaments. Some years, I made specialized things for each childs interests, but the last few years, I needed to make it less stressful, so they all get the same one, but painted differently. I started this year with the ones I need to mail, and the ones I do not see as often because of distance. So, two will be delivered today, and three will be mailed...then I will continue with the other seven.

Check this out....over at Click it Up a Notch, there is a wonderful giveaway for a Tamron lens! http://www.clickitupanotch.com/2011/11/tamron-18-270mm-lens-and-a-giveaway/#comment-19287

Tiny new puppy

2011-11-29T16:28:00.003-07:00

My friend and neighbor has newborn Samoyed puppies again. A big litter, and this little girl is half the size of the other 6 puppies. They have nicknamed her, "Mouse". She is two weeks old tomorrow, and no bigger than a minute. She is quite comfortable in the palm of a hand. She is not nursing, and has to be fed every three hours around the clock. What a sweet little baby!

Snowman Nutcracker

2011-11-26T20:18:00.003-07:00

I found him at Joann's today. I have a friend who collects snowmen and so I got him for her.

The Thinker

2011-11-25T10:37:00.005-07:00

Our nearly 6 yr old grandson, Cameron, played a game of chess with Grandpa after dinner yesterday. He has a good understanding of the game, and he is already a member of a chess club. He is such a delightful energetic boy. It is nice to catch him sitting still long enough for a photo LOL! He is smart and creative, and we expect to see great things from him in the future.

Caught unaware

2011-11-21T17:56:00.004-07:00

One of the things I love about my 85mm, is that I can get close ups of the kids without them knowing. It is a little close inside but it worked out well today. This is just a little window light.

Butterfly Wreath

2011-11-20T16:56:00.004-07:00

My daughter made this cute little wreath ornament for her tree yesterday. It is made from double sided card stock punched out with a Martha Stewart butterfly punch, and then they are glued to a 3" brass ring. She added a few little stick on jewels for a little sparkle. It is really much prettier than this photograph.

This is a smaller version...on a 2" ring and with a smaller punch. It takes many more butterflies to finnish it. I put a few sequins on it for a little bling.

Surprise in the mail

2011-11-19T21:06:00.003-07:00

This little Dachshund ornament came in the mail today...addressed to my mother, who has been gone for 3 1/2 years. She gave the Danbury Mint lots of business with the things she collected. Dachshunds were among her treasures. This little ornament was a complementary gift because they would like to have her back as a customer!
I will be most pleased if they can get her back....in the meantime, I will purchase the other ornaments in this series for my tree.

Pinecone Turkeys

2011-11-18T21:49:00.003-07:00

I made Pinecone turkeys with grandchildren the past two days. They were so fun to do. This is one I made for myself. I think he looks a little scared, like he just saw a hatchet or something! LOL!

So grown up!

2011-11-17T21:18:00.003-07:00

Wow, this is easy!

I did it PERFECT!

Fake Fire

2011-11-14T23:31:00.003-07:00

I need a fake fire to use in the church next Tuesday for my activity day. It is for "Camp Thankful"....and I want the room to resemble a real campground with a fire. The girls made Gratitude Journals last Tuesday, where they are recording their thoughts about what is meaningful to them each day. Next week in our little "camp" they will share those things they recorded. I was happy to find someone who had this fake fire to loan me. It is a left over from an advertisement during the winter Olympics here a few years ago. I can improve how good it looks before next week, but I am impressed with this flame. It flickers and dances around, looking very real.

Here we go.....

2011-11-13T21:58:00.003-07:00

My daughter and I have both come to the conclusion that the Christmas season needs to be welcomed into our homes A LITTLE earlier this year. She was actually getting a tree up tonight, and so I took advantage of that opportunity to try out a couple of photos. These little ornaments are Martha Stewart items and are the cutest little things. I need the peace that Christmas brings... I want the soft glow of lights around me. For now, I will just run over to her house!

Jewel Bokeh

2011-11-12T20:53:00.003-07:00

I bought a big container of sparkly embellishments at Hobby Lobby. I thought it might help if they were divided by size. After about an hour of sorting, it was more fun to just play with them....

Who could have "borrowed" my snowman sox?

2011-11-11T19:57:00.006-07:00

CLUE: I suspect that it was Miss Rory, in her living room, with the glass slippers, under her raggedy princess dress!

Cessna and Lance

2011-11-10T22:06:00.003-07:00

I had two grandchildren here for about five hours. They are a sweet brother and sister. Too bad the photography here was lacking. They are really a cute couple of kids.
I enjoyed them a lot!

Play Dough Architect

2011-11-07T20:39:00.005-07:00

The princess made a castle, and she was very happy with her creation.

Brrrrr.....

2011-11-06T17:48:00.002-07:00

Winter Morning

2011-11-05T16:02:00.003-06:00

I went out this morning while it was snowing and then when it let up for a couple more pictures. When I put them up on the computer, they reminded me of the words of one of my favorite Christmas songs from an album by Cori Connors:

"The winter left her blanket here this morning.....

A soft and gentle coverlet of white.....

Unfolded in the shadows of the dawn, it sparkled in the early morning light...."

Make A Wish for Alex

2011-11-04T21:05:00.004-06:00

Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend a "Make A Wish" party for a young man who is a friend and neighbor of mine. He has endured a long and difficult battle with cancer in his jaw. He has had rounds of Chemo, and many surgeries. After Reconstructive surgeries most recently, he is still suffering with unrelentless infections. He is brave...and so kind. He is a very sweet and quiet soul who has endured so much.

At the Utah chapter of make a wish, each recipient makes a glass star which hangs from the ceiling with their name and their wish written on it. Here Alex is writing the wish that he received. It was to go to New york City to meet Glen Beck. He told us about his experience and we viewed a video of pictures from that trip. His dad is a fan of Glen Beck, and Alex watched many hours of his shows with his dad while he was so ill and in and out of hospitals etc. This is why he chose this wish.

Someone complied a beautiful scrapbook of his journey.

Here he is raising his star to join the others on the ceiling.

Here it is, where it will remain.

Apples For The Horsie

2011-11-02T22:05:00.003-06:00

This was a real thrill for Rory today, to feed this horse an apple. His owner was so nice to allow her this special experience.

My Witch Friends

2011-11-01T19:23:00.003-06:00

Here are two of my long time friends. They are missing another gal who had a family committment last night. They are just the cutest trio......going around on Halloween in extraordinary costumes, delivering doughnuts. They have done this for years and years, and We never know who they will be next. One year, they were the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. I should have taken photos of the details on their hats last night. Their purses are a hoot too!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:51:00.004-06:00

These are not the photos I thought I would use today, but I just love Avi's sweet little face here.

She was very excited to go Trick or Treat tonight, and the weather was beautiful...rain and snow are forecast for tomorrow. Unbelievable!

Birthdays

2011-10-30T22:13:00.003-06:00

This is Rory with her favorite birthday gift. A ballerina musicbox/jewelry box. Her party was only for parents and grandparents but it was very nice.

Tonight we celebrated our son, and grandson's birthdays.

Here are the three who share the October 29th birthday! We had a Hawaiian party tonight for Danny and Zach

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

2011-10-29T10:39:00.007-06:00

You may have noticed, we have many October birthdays in the family. We have already celebrated, our son, Jeff on the 6th, daughter Becky, on the 12th, Granddaughter, Ashley, on the 21st, and now today the 29th, we have Becky's daughter, Rory who is four, AND our son Danny, AND his son Zachary who is two!

Happy birthday to Zach and his Daddy...more of them tomorrow at their party!

Three Sisters

2011-10-28T14:40:00.004-06:00

These are the three grandchildren that I went to visit last weekend. I rarely have an opportunity to post pictures of them, so, although I did take other photos today, I decided to post this edit instead.

Cotton Swab Skeleton

2011-10-27T19:40:00.002-06:00

Last week when I visited some grandchildren, one of them had a skeleton lke this on her bullitin board. I thought it was a cute idea and shared it with Rory.

Quote: "There! See how cute you look?"

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-26T21:57:00.006-06:00

Rory attended a Trunk or Treat with her Grandpa tonight. She was delighted with everything, and she gazed at herself in a little hand mirror all the way there!

Avi was not so sure of herself, when she saw all of the decorations....huge spiders, amd all kinds of goblins.

Thank you Martha Stewart

2011-10-25T07:36:00.006-06:00

I needed a quick treat idea for my activity day today. I found this on marthastewart.com

They are called Jack-o-lantern party favors.... http://www.marthastewart.com/274457/halloween-clip-art/@center/276965/halloween

Three to a page, I just had to print them, cut them out, glue them together at the back, and fill 'em up. I tied green curling ribbon at the top of the baggie...she recommended green wire. They each hold two mini bars and a handful of candy corn. If you go on there and print these, use yellow card stock, NOT orange. A small strip of scotch tape across the bottom holds the little bags inside. These are for the girls. They will be assembling treat bags for a few people in the area.

Another beautiful Granddaughter...Kylie, who is nearly 14. She is ready for a choir performance here. There were over 300 voices in a combined choir featuring seven middle schools in her area. She is a lovely girl......gifted in several areas, and so creative. She sings, plays piano very well, and maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Happy Birthday Ashley!

2011-10-23T22:59:00.003-06:00

I flew out of town this weekend for the birthday of my granddaughter, Ashley. She is growing up so fast...eleven years old now. She is a beautiful, vivacious, bundle of energy. It was fun to spend some time with her and her family.

Tiger love!

2011-10-20T14:59:00.006-06:00

I did some two year shots of my little grandson today. His birthday is coming up and he is such a cute little guy. He just about talked my leg off! What a little chatter box he is! He loved my rocking tiger, he is giving him a little hug here.

Skeletons out-take

2011-10-19T11:27:00.003-06:00

OH well, it was not worth stressing over. LOL! Come to think of it, it might be pretty scary to be in a witch pot!!!

Dimple Dell Park

2011-10-18T20:30:00.004-06:00

For this shot, I walked North, a few doors down my street, then one block to the West and I captured it from the bridge that goes over this dry creek. We have always called it "The Gulley". My children all enjoyed this when they were young. If they went to play at the neighbor's, the last thing they heard me say is, "don't go down in the gulley". You can see why they did not always listen. The mountain almost seems farther away that in real life. Does a wide angle lens do that? I was zooming for yesterday's photo, which was just a bit away from this vantage point. Look close under the highest peaks you will see our "snow bra". It always shows up at the first snow of the season. We had frost on our front lawn this morning. These beautiful scenes will not last long now.

A View From My Neighborhood

2011-10-17T21:55:00.003-06:00

We do not live in a fancy neighborhood, nor do we have a big fancy home, but we DO have this fancy view. Can you tell I have been reading a lot of Fancy Nancy recently? Seriously though, I have grown up surrounded by these rocky mountains. I LOVE them, they are "home". This is one of my favorite scenes with the storm clouds around the peaks, and the autumn colors here in the valley. It rained all night, and I was lucky to catch this view this morning.

Stop the Car-ography!

2011-10-16T21:06:00.005-06:00

Our Rocky mountains are non-stop beauty all year long, but Fall has to be my very favorite!
Since it snowed early, then warmed up again, the colors are massive and very bright. Whole mountainsides are a mass of color. I wish I could fly over them for a picture. Even a wide angle lens doesn't do it justice. Here are three of my faves from this evening's ride up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Krypto, The Skeleton

2011-10-15T20:12:00.006-06:00

I have a little granddaughter who is so in love with this little dog, Krypto. She is a skeleton for halloween and she wants more than anything for Krypto to be a skeleton too. She keeps asking me if I have a little yarn, or a little this or that to make him a costume. I saw where Joann's had a little white bear wearing a skeleton costume. SO, I went in there to see if it was about the same size. YES it was, but the disappointment was that the body of the bear was the costume. The hood was the only part that came off. He was on a great sale so for $3.00 I figured if my plan did not go right, I would not be out much. I brought the bear home and cut him apart, removing his head, hands and feet, and pulled out the stuffing. I had to open up the arms to get Kryptos paws in there. Then I sewed it back together by hand while it was on him. I was relieved and she was delighted. All is well.

Drive-by shooting, Snow Canyon

2011-10-14T20:02:00.011-06:00

Some of these ARE drive-by, but others I got out of the car for. The canyon is known for it's red and white sandstone. Some areas have more intense color than other areas. It also looks different with the time of day. The sage was in bloom. The black areas are lava rock.

My trespassing shots!

2011-10-13T00:36:00.009-06:00

Well, Catherine pointed out to me that photographers cross "no trespassing" lines all the time. LOL! I actually didn't see the signs until my daughter called my attention to them. I went onto the area, not only for a better place to shoot the horses, but for my own safety away from the traffic. These were taken on two different nights, at different times so there is a variety of lighting as the sun was going down both evenings. Yesterday's image is still my favorite, but I like these close-ups of the horses too.

Wild Mustang Round-about

2011-10-12T07:58:00.003-06:00

This beautiul sculpture in Southern Utah, features five wild mustangs. One is mounted by an American Indian. They are life sized, and are a real eye-catcher on this round-about, or traffic circle as it is called down there. I have other pictures of it from different angles that I will post later. Since it is right in the middle of traffic, it is difficult to get good pictures of it. I made the mistake of getting up close to them before I realized there were signs saying to keep off! Opps! This one, however, is perfectly legal.

I LOVE clouds

2011-10-07T16:27:00.004-06:00

I Love this image. We drove out to Tooele to wish our son a happy birthday, and I just rolled down the window and grabbed this photo of Antelope Island out in the Great Salt Lake. Yes, there are Antelope out there and herds of Bison.

Can you see the dog? A fluffy breed.......facing left. He's lying down, with his tail sticking out behind him. He is looking to his right, with the sun in his face. See him?
I got this one through the windshield as we were driving!

First Snow!

2011-10-06T19:31:00.005-06:00

We were almost blown away with the wind, but it was warm...then we got the pelting Rain all night and morning, then it changed to snow, even on the valley floor. Only about an inch that melted pretty fast. We are freezing though. Big change in temperature. A low of 37 degrees is forecast for tonight. The mountains got a good dusting, with several inches already in the ski resorts. This is the same place I took yesterday's photo if you want to compare.

Here Comes The Storm.

2011-10-05T10:46:00.004-06:00

This photo was taken at 4:00 PM yesterday. The colors are not really fully out yet, but it is starting to look pretty. Yes...the sky is really that color.....it's untouched here.

I took this one this morning, looking over the rooftops to the mountains from my house. You can see the storm moving in. It will lay down some snow on those peaks today. It will also cause more trees in the valley to turn to their Fall colors. I'm excited because it will produce my favorite scenes with the Aurumn leaves and the snow capped Mountains.