Last Day of January?

As I sit down to post these pictures the thermometer is boldly declaring that it is sixty two degrees outside. Sixty two degrees- it is the last day of January! To take advantage of this odd weather treat, everybody put on wheels of some sort and hit the sidewalk.

 Sisters- Tuesday, January 31.

I love the light in Little One's braids- Tuesday, January 31.

The Oldest's first successful ride on the rip stick he got from his uncle- Tuesday, January 31.

As you can tell by the images above, I like taking pictures of my kids in action while standing behind them. I like how the focus shifts to the activity they are involved in and to their surroundings. (It's also nice not to have to worry about phony smiles, rolling eyes, or funny faces. Why do kids think it is so funny to make silly faces when their parents are trying to take nice pictures?) But since all three kiddos have such adorable mugs, here are a few pictures from the front, too.

(See what I mean. Even in the midst of super-focused concentration, he managed to produce a funny face.)

I hope you had a chance to enjoy this day as much as we did- Tuesday, January 31.

Cameras

I ran into Kohl's to return something today and on the way out (via the long way through the aisles of home goods) I spotted these camera knick knacks. I couldn't quite see bringing one home, but I did see a fun picture in the making. I quickly arranged them on the shelf so they were all facing the same way and took a few pictures with the little camera I keep in my purse.

This is the picture straight from the camera. I only cropped it- Monday, January 30.

This is the picture with the color removed from the background- Monday, January 30.

This image is the result of my messing around in Photo Shop Elements. I still have lots to learn, like how to make the edges of the selected areas look a whole lot better. Picture taking is fun, but sometimes the picture making afterward is even more fun- Monday, January 30.

Day Two

My time away has come to a close and I am at home once again. Here are a few pictures from my adventures today.

Just me and my shadow enjoying some time in the woods- Sunday, January 29.

This tree was covered in the prettiest blue-green. Probably not too good for the health of the tree, but great for a picture- Sunday, January 29.

I took this picture through an opening in the tree line along a portion of the Appalachian Trail- Sunday, January 29.

This is evidence of my first roadside photo stop. The sunset was beautiful on the way home and I turned around to pull into the driveway of a county maintenance shed to take some pictures. The girls were tucked in the warm van watching Tangled while I waited patiently in the cold for an opening in the traffic to get a couple of clear shots- Sunday, January 29.

A Warm January Day in a Special Place

As if the temperature reaching into the 50s was not wonderful enough, I got to enjoy part of this unseasonably beautiful day at one of my very favorite places. I am currently away, by myself (and loving every minute of it) at Camp Hebron. I spent two summers on staff here when I was in college and have found my way back for many different reasons over the years. One of my favorites is to muck through the woods in my boots with my camera, of course.

A bird's nest in a Sweetgum Tree. You have to click on the picture to really see the little prickly sweetgum balls- Saturday, January 28.

This little creek is often just a trickle in the summer. But everything is soggy right now and the water is spilling downstream with the most beautiful and soothing sound- Saturday, January 28.

Two cool shots of stuff growing on other stuff. I can't give you any more information than that. I only have time for one nature pursuit right now and that is bird watching- Saturday, January 28.

Speaking of bird watching, I have to share this image. Not because it is a good picture, but because of the subject. I walked into my kitchen yesterday and saw a big patch of white in the evergreens. At first I thought it was a plastic bag that had gotten stuck. But then I looked closer and quickly tip toed to get my camera. I didn't dare open the glass door, instead I took this through the glass. This bird was sitting on my neighbor's fence, the usual perch of our sparrows and chickadees. That post in the foreground is the corner of our deck. The bird's feathers are puffed up because it was windy. My initial i.d. is a Cooper's Hawk. But I can't say for sure. I haven't checked all my bird sites yet- Friday, January 27.

This is the usual crowd that gathers on the fence. They graciously allowed our guest full access to any part of the fence he wanted- Thursday, January 5.

I'll Get By with a Little Help from My Kids

Today's pictures are the result of some keen kid eyes.

First Grader saw this heart in the clouds- Friday, January 27.

The Oldest spotted this Mocking Bird while we were reading History. We finished up a Science unit on birds last week, and I was proud to see his bird identification skills in action- Friday, January 27.

This was my idea for a picture today (I thought it pretty cool before the cloud formation and bird sighting took center stage). As I was refilling the bird feeder yesterday, I let go of the nut that screws on the bottom and made a bit of a mess. But I thought it looked really pretty this morning with the sun shining in through the deck rails. When life gives you spilled bird seed, make a picture- Friday, January 27.

Happy Reading

This is a picture of my Little House books. They are by far my favorite pieces of literature. Some of my fondest childhood memories are the hours my mom and I sat reading through these books. I got my very first one when I was in second grade. On the title page of On the Banks of Plum Creek is a stamp that says "Happy Reading from RIF". Don't quote me, but I believe RIF stood for a program called "Reading is Fundamental". Once a year when we went to our library class there would be new books spread all over the tables. Our teacher, Miss Kling, would make us all line up along the book shelves and thoroughly explain that these books were donations from so and so and tell us that we could each choose one to take home. I am sure the rest of her instructions included things like, 'Don't run. No fighting over books. When you select your book, please sit quietly at a table and begin reading.' But that year, I didn't hear her words. My eyes had locked in on the book I wanted to make mine and I was busy planning the shortest route to get to it. When she finally gave us the go, I made a wild dash across the little room and successfully snatched the first of what would become my set of Little House books. Now at the time I had no idea who Laura Ingalls Wilder was, nor did I really care what was contained in the book. My single criteria in choosing On the Banks of Plum Creek was that it was the fattest book on all the tables. I guess I figured if I was getting something for free, I ought to make the best of it. Well, I am so glad that big book with the pale yellow cover made it into my hands, for I can honestly say I have never read another book that I love more.

I pulled them all out today because we have just started in on the last one, The First Four Years, and I was feeling sentimental. I have loved reading through these with my kids, remembering when I read them for the first time and waiting for their reactions to certain scenes that I couldn't wait to visit again. I've had to employ a good bit of tape this time around, but I really like the worn edges and the creases on the spine. They speak to me of memories made spending hours snuggling on the couch, getting lost in beautiful words- Thursday, January 26.

Losing Teeth

First Grader lost her second top tooth last night. This one she wouldn't let any of us touch. Which is funny because as soon as her other teeth began to slightly move she was asking us to reach in and try to yank them out. One of those she lost in the grocery store. Literally, she lost it in the grocery store. We were in the dairy aisle and she came over to show me that her tooth was not wiggly any more. She did not realize she was trying to wiggle a different tooth because her very wiggly one had fallen out. Apparently all of our yanking and pulling had loosened it up quite nicely. Unfortunately, no one happened to have their hand in her mouth when the tooth was actually ready to come out. We did a quick sweep of the last couple of aisles we had walked through, but found no tooth. We never did figure out quite what happened to that one. But to be honest that worked okay for me. I could still slip a little something under her pillow without having to actually deal with the nasty fallen out tooth. I am sorry, but teeth that have come out of someone's mouth are disgusting and I can't stand to think about the collections in the little tooth shaped boxes that are sitting in my kids' rooms. I had one, too, when I was little, a tooth collection that is. It was in a little pink plastic treasure chest. As a kid I did think it a treasure, but I vividly remember years later finding it one day in a box of stuff and feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of opening the lid to look upon its contents. I quickly tossed it in the trash can and haven't regretted it since. I digress. Back to the present. So, last night First Grader decided to let her four year old sister try to pull her tooth out. It was literally hanging by a thread. Her sister couldn't get it out, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and gave it a good, solid yank. Out it came.

Now onto the pictures. I read one time in a book about photographing children to be sure to get sweet pictures of them before they start loosing their teeth, specifically their top teeth. As soon as those little tiny chompers fall out, the ones that produced their own round of pictures when they finally broke through the baby gums some six years back, kids start their path toward becoming big, really big. So, I have tried to heed that advice and capture their 'littleness' before it is quickly replaced by 'bigness'. But I have to say that once the gums heal up and smooth over after those front teeth come out, their absence creates a smile I adore, and that is what I was trying to catch today. The sunlight comes into the girls' room beautifully in the mornings - the only place in my entire house all day long. So, before school First Grader and I tried to take advantage of the sunshine and capture her cute new smile. I quickly realized, however, she had other plans. Plans that included keeping her lips carefully touching as she smiled.

I love light and shadow in a picture. I had to have her stand on a stool because the shadow from the middle of the window was cutting right across her face. She seemed to enjoy the extra prop- Wednesday, January 25.

 This one was her idea and taken before the one above, hence the shadow across her cheek. Notice the same look off into the distance that she used in the picture in the snow last Saturday that she had posed herself- Wednesday, January 25.

We were getting closer, I could tell. She was having to try really hard in this picture to keep her lips together. At this point I had resorted to humor in an attempt to get her to at least grant me a peek at her gums. Notice the start of a smile in her eyes- Wednesday, January 25.

Not exactly what I was hoping for, but she did finally show me her teeth. I adore that little girl! Or should I say that not-so-little-anymore girl? -Wednesday, January 25.

Art in Action

Caution: Artists at Work

These two little artists are friends from our co-op. They are busy working on their Georgia O'Keeffe style paintings. I love her flowers. I like their flowers a lot, too- Tuesday, January 24.

Confession

This confession could totally tarnish my image as a fun and cool thirty-something, but in order to post my pictures from today, I have to make it. So here goes- I like watching birds. In fact I think I might be turning into a bird watcher. Aghhh. I can't believe I just typed that, but I am pretty sure it is true. I am more than content to sit quietly at my glass doors and watch the Sparrows and Chickadees flit to and from the bird feeder. I find myself smiling when I see our resident pair of Cardinals emerge from the pine trees at the same time. I already posted a picture of one of our Turtle Doves, but I masked my emerging bird-watching passion by presenting the bird as an old family friend instead of as the subject of that day's bird spotting. I now know of several helpful bird identification websites and get quite a thrill when I successfully match a name with a face. I have even started listening to see if I can tell what bird is in our trees, just by its song. I know, stop. Enough all ready!

That said, (with a deep sigh, it feels good to have all that out in the open), today was an amazing day of bird spotting.

 When I opened our bedroom curtains this morning, I was greeted by our lovely Cardinals. So I ran downstairs, got my camera, ran back upstairs, and threw open the window (luckily the screen was gone because we take them all out every Christmas to hang our decorations and don't put them back until the Spring). So hanging out my bedroom window, in my bathrobe, I got a shot of this guy- Monday, January 23.

 As I started scanning the trees, I noticed another patch of red and then another. I couldn't believe it! All together there were 4 male Cardinals and 2 female Cardinals enjoying the foggy morning in our front trees. I asked a few of them to pose and smile for the camera. They were so obliging- Monday, January 23.

 Then, just as I was about to pack it up, feeling quite pleased with the fruits of a great few minutes of bird watching, a small flock of Starlings swooped in to join the Cardinals. They are beautiful birds, especially today because they were surprisingly quiet- Monday, January 23.

 After watching the Starlings for a bit, I saw what I swore was a Robin. I was sure I had just seen a flit of red from one of the Cardinals, we never have Robins around here at this time of year. But then I heard what I thought was a Robin's call. Sure enough, one lonely Robin had swooped in with the flock of Starlings. Of course, when I was done taking pictures, I ran to the computer to see if such a thing actually happens. I was pleased to find a few reports of solo Robins joining flocks of other birds, specifically Starlings, on a couple of bird watching forums. No, I am not a member of any of the forums, they just came up when I Googled my question. Honest- Monday, January 23.

This is a cool silhouette of the Starlings through the fog. The birds flew to a tree in our neighbor's yard when they were startled by my children bursting into my room, wondering in loud voices what had happened to me between getting out of the shower and coming down to supervise breakfast making. The Oldest saw what I was doing and said to the other two, "Mom's got her camera." No kidding, they sighed in unison and ran to find something to do. They are learning quickly it's best not to interrupt mom when she's got a camera in her hand, especially when it's pointed at birds- Monday, January 23.

A Few Other Pictures

These are the last of the pictures I had saved in my 'pics i like' folder on my computer, which just means they are pictures I like from when I was messing around getting to know my camera. Well, all but the first two. They are pictures I took yesterday after I had already posted my pictures for the day. Yesterday was a great day for art.

The one and only glimpse of sunshine we had yesterday. I caught it while we were waiting in a parking lot to meet friends who were picking us up to go to a hockey game- Saturday, January 21.

 I took tons of shots of the hockey game. Had lots of fun messing around with the sports and burst settings. This one was during the pregame warm up. No special setting needed since these feet belonged to someone who was doing a great job of standing still. Which as I come to think of it, actually seems like quite an  accomplishment considering the fact that he is balancing on thin blades of metal on slippery ice- Saturday, January 21.

 This may be my favorite picture that I have taken so far with my camera. I love the lighting. I also love the subject- it is one of our nativity sets. The gift of a beautiful wooden set from Thailand started the bug to collect sets from different countries. This one is from Vietnam- Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

 Super zoom shot of the moon. No skill required, except that of being able to hold the zoom dial long enough to get this close. You can click on the picture to see more detail- Friday, December 9, 2011.

A picture of our keyboard sitting patiently in the middle of the living room as it waits for the Christmas tree to finally be put away so it can again rest in its favorite spot under the double windows- Wednesday, January 4.

My Camera's Twin

I took my camera to church today because it was stuck in a review setting I didn't like. I could have gotten on the computer and looked up the solution in the manual, but I was hoping my photo loving friend with the same camera could help me. We couldn't figure it out, but her tech-savvy husband looked it up on his i pad, and my tech-savvy husband (who wishes he had an i pad) found the setting in the hundreds of menus on my camera, and together saved the day.

This picture was the suggestion of my friend. She's taking a picture of me taking a picture of her with our twin cameras. I like it for two reasons. The first is the joy on my friend's face. She is especially beautiful behind a camera. The second is that when I uploaded the image to my computer I was pleasantly surprised to find my reflection in her lens. Wish I could say I planned that, but I didn't- Sunday, January 22.

Surprise Snow

Pictures were easy to take today. We all woke up to an unexpected covering of snow. The last of the precipitation had been freezing rain, which covered everything with a perfect crust of ice. Footsteps crunched and bare branches glistened. A great day to be outside- Saturday, January 21.

Two pictures of my butterfly bush.

I loved how the snow and ice nestled down into the pine needles. I also liked the footprints in the background.

The muted look of the colors in this picture is what caught my eye. I think it is pretty.

I love this picture. But I must give credit where credit is due. I had stomped the heart outline into the snow, it was perfect footprint snow! When First Grader noticed it, she proceeded to arrange this picture. She put herself just so in the heart, posed, and fixed her gaze on somewhere far away. If she knew how to put the kid camera on a tripod and use the timer, she wouldn't have needed me at all. But I am glad I got to shoot it and that she still needs me, at least until she figures out how to use the tripod!

Since Then

Pictures I've taken since the sunrise.

One of our turtle doves. A pair has lived in our back yard since we moved in almost nine years ago. I hadn't seen any this winter until last Saturday morning when I spotted this one enjoying the early morning sun on the swing set- Saturday, January 14.

Cupcakes for a special little girl's fourth birthday- Sunday January 15.

The day had gone by (a cold day, hence the hat inside), kids almost ready for bed when I realized I had not taken a picture! With terrible lighting in all of our house, I settled for a zoomed in reflection. I like the beveled glass at the edge- Monday, January 16.

A rainy morning gave way to a beautiful, sunny day with puddles everywhere. My goal was to take a picture of the sky in one of those puddles. I didn't get it here, but was happy with the sparkles that I did capture- Tuesday, January 17.

The puddles all gone, I challenged myself to catch a cloud and pin it down somewhere. Two I liked- the windows of the van and the kitchen faucet- Wednesday, January 17.

 Waiting for First Grader's ride to school, this is the condensation on the window. I think the dust on the windowsill caught the soft light just beautifully.

This is a small section of the condensation from the picture above- Thursday, January 18.

Again waiting until all natural light had gone from the sky I was left to shoot something inside. So I pulled out a bunch of citrus fruit and got started. The fish is my spoon rest, probably the thing I love most in my kitchen. Why fish and fruit? Fruit by itself was just too boring- Friday, January 20.