I Captured Autumn!

Wordless Wednesday

Beautiful Birches

I took some photos later afternoon yesterday in my yard. I was trying to capture the changing seasons for the "you capture challenge" this week. The weather was ideal for this as the sun was just beginning to set. I could hear the bus pulling up in the front of the house dumping the kids off, a sudden burst of chattering and my youngest son scampering in the house as fast as his legs could carry him. This is typical. He misses me. By the time I rounded the side of the house I could hear him inside calling for me. I surprised him by ringing the front bell. I have boys at three different ages and stages. One kisses me three times passionately and hugs me tight before heading out the door in the morning. Sometimes he will run back in for one last kiss if he doesn't see the bus barreling down the street. Another kisses me intently, but quick, and is gone without looking back. Unless I bang on the front window to get him to stop whipping acorns at close range at his brother. Then he looks back suddenly innocent with that " what,who, me?" look. And, my oldest who no longer comes in my room to kiss me before he's off for the day. It's kind of sad, but I guess normal. On the weekends though, when he sleeps in and stumbles down the stairs later morning his instincts kick in. He will come to me for a good morning hug before he remembers he is 14 and this may no longer be cool. Me, I take what I can get.

Macro Monday

I am participating in Macro Monday again this week. I took this photo a few weeks ago. These were the last flowers I could find in my yard, those tiny daisy-like weeds that you find growing among the overgrown. They really are quite beautiful up close. Enjoy the day.You can check out all the close up beauty at:http://lisaschaos.com/chaotic-macro-monday/

Mosaic Monday

I do look forward to making these mosaics. Fun, fun, fun! Check out all the other mosaics at:http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/. Thanks Mary.

Technology

I am participating in the You Capture technology challenge at: http://ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/ thanks to technology. You can't live with it, you can't live without it. At least that's how it's been in our house lately. After a very stressful week of falling grades for our children we have decided to wean them off a little technology, and not just them, us too. My son lost his cell phone privileges because he was spending so much time texting and contacting friends on facebook that school was becoming a very low priority in his life. He was on his way to almost 7,000 texts a month! Really. It was constant from the time soccer practice ended until bed. If he could sneak his phone to bed he did. We finally pulled the plug on that a few weeks ago. If you look in the lower right hand corner of this picture you can see his discarded phone that he no longer has any interest in. When we try to call him at practice to check when he needs a ride, it rings where it lays. What good is a phone you can't text on anyway? There were a couple of days of withdrawal. But, he has come back to me, to us. His interactions had turned so abrupt and inconvenient all at once when this heavy texting began. I was blaming it on being in high school now and "the age". But, it wasn't. It was the constant socializing that was going on. We were all just in the way, and annoying. We still are annoying him, that's for sure, but he's back. Our boy is back! This week we realized that having a computer front and center and easy access is too distracting. While a safer option when you want to monitor what your children are doing on line, it is too enticing when they have other things they need to do, like school work. The older kids can now use it for home work only, until late evening where they have an hour to chat with friends, assuming they are doing what they need to do. My husband and I are making a conscious effort to not go on the computer unless necessary when we are all home and the kids are awake. I have to admit that this is not easy. I love to just load my photos and play around with them, when "I should be folding laundry". My husband comes right in from work and marches to the computer to check emails and see what friends are up to on facebook. We are both cutting seriously back on this. I mean it. It is so easy to get sucked in and tune out. Speaking of which, I need to shut this technology down for the night.

Summer Girl

This is our next door neighbor Summer. She is sweet and kind and a friend to all. If we ever get another dog I would want it to be her.

Macro Monday

This is my first participation in macro monday. I love macro shots and all the fine detail they capture. I do my best but so far all I have is the kit lens that came with my Canon Rebel. I seem to be most successful when I put the camera in manual mode and move on in. How'd I do?

Thinking Pink for I Heart Faces

Cone flowers are one of my favorites. Not only are they beautiful and bold and photographic, they are extremely strong and resilient. Mine bloomed for weeks this year, fighting for life and looking gorgeous in every stage. I took pictures of them endlessly, always drawn back to their beauty and strength against all kinds of weather. I love the angle I captured in this photo. This is my contribution for pink week at http:iheartfaces.blogspot.com.

Mosaic Monday: Thinking Pink!

Hey, my mosaic is also pink like Mary's at http:dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com . Maybe because October is breast cancer awareness month and pink is everywhere. Time to schedule that mammogram; everyone. I have such sympathy and admiration for a friend who is enduring a year of treatment following a masectomy. She endures and carries on. She's a friend, a wife, a mother and inspiring.

Think pink everyone!

Raining on Sunday

Lily is our pet bird that the Easter Bunny brought us a few years back. She's quite friendly and talkative, and quite likely a boy. Her beak turned light blue not long after she came to us. I suggested to the kids that we rename her Louie, but they would not hear of it so she is Lily the male parakeet. It's a rainy cold Sunday here in the northeast. Soccer games are cancelled so I am cutting hair, making my kids cry for some reason and doing bird photo shoots as well as keeping everyone fed. Another productive day of life. Isn't she pretty?

Home:

It's where you can let your balloons hang out :).

Still Life

When I hear the words still life I think literally of taking Drawing and Painting 101 and a set up display of everyday inanimate objects that are have been arranged sometimes artfully, sometimes not to be drawn. When I decorate my home I find myself making little still life arrangements in every room without even realizing I am doing it. This "still life" is on our desk top table where our computers are set up. I added the onion for a little bit of the unexpected.:) Now, the next photo I took I thought was perfect for http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/2009/10/you-capture-still-life.html YouCapture from Ishouldbefoldinglaundry.With 6 people in our family, any spare time I have should be spent folding laundry. As the kids grow so does the size and volume of their clothing, and with everyone playing soccer, some of them daily and with an eight year old who sometimes changes his outfit three times a day on a whim, I have so much laundry.!! It is never done, very unsatisfying to do, and even though I am nearly professional by this point in time, I take no pride in the process. (see photo) This is what my living room looks like when it is still of life, and, "I should be folding laundry".

Up, Up and Away

I posted this picture yesterday and thought OMG I think that could be my sky watch photo for the week. A stranger gave my boys these balloons as we were picking up ginders for supper at Subway. True story. They were thrilled, but even more so to let them go! Check out all the other skywatching going on at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

I Heart Faces: Excited!

I love this picture of my usually reserved daughter running on the beach in Florida. School had just ended for the Summer, days earlier. Her freshman year had been in many ways gruelling but very successful. She had just finished her Spring track season where she had earned a varsity letter for hurdles among other academic acolades. She certainly is not me at 15.
Anyways, I convinced her to sprint/hurdle her way down the beach so I could play around with my new camera. I think this picture captures that excited feeling I remember having when school is finally over for the year and you have the whole Summer ahead of you. Freedom!

It's Just Another Mosaic Monday

I completed my melodic mix of mostly memorable moments and was able to post it late Sunday, because that's my fun day, my I don't have to run day. I had fun doing it too. It's kind of exciting to choose your photos and then hit the spin button, like playing the slots. Jackpot! Check out the many others playing along too with Mary at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/. Her mosaic is gorgeous this week. She really hit the jackpot.

My Girl

I think she's beautiful, she thinks not.
She's kind and wise and sweet.
She's good and easy and plays well with others.
She is too easy to brag about so I try not to talk.
I won't take credit she was born this way. Honestly.
She's 15.
We heart her.

Just playing with pictures

Sky Watch from a Dashboard View

I took this photo as we were passing through the capital city in CT. I posterized the picture and really love how the clouds and sky turned out. I think they turn this ugyly urban scape into a thing of beauty. I really try to like Hartford's skyline, but when you are closing in on it, arriving from the east it's pretty unattractive. Unfortunately. It's not so bad traveling east, but not so great either. Luckily the sky cooperated and added fancy backdrop. You can check out a whole bunch of other skywatcher's views at:http://skyley.blogspot.com/2009/10/skywatch-friday-season-4-episode-13.html. Enjoy!

Red Soccer Ball

I have to say that this soccer ball is really getting on my nerves lately. It is forever being shuffled and kicked around inside our house. Yes, inside! I am forever ordering it outside, opening the kitchen door and flinging it into the recycling bin in the garage in a rage or hiding it in my hamper under dirty clothes. Add to the mix a few other brothers who also think they have the right to bring a soccer ball inside and, a msc. rugby ball that has yet to find a permanent home in the garage. I need to find that episode of the Brady Bunch and make my boys sit and watch. Because "Mom always says, Don't play ball in the house", and anyone born before 1980 knows this.

Silhouette

Before and After

Every once in awhile I think I have taken a really good picture. I am on a high for ........hours, sometimes a whole day; and then I look at what others are achieving and it is just jaw dropping. There is some really incredible photography out there. Is it talent, great equipment, skill, actions, all of the above? Probably? Some of the bokeh fall shots on Pioneer Woman were soooo beautiful. Little works of art that should be blown up mural size. Impressive. For now I guess I just have to keep practicing. It gets confusing though. What's more important, using your camera perfectly, or learning to edit technically correct yet creatively? I'm not sure, but for today I will just dabble in the artistic section of elements and turn my mistakes into art. The possibilities and combinations are endless and sometimes beautiful; and I am way too right brain for technical on most days. Here I go again practicing on the darn bee and flower shots. I can't believe I have not gotten stung yet.

Help, I Heart Faces!

Thanks, I heart faces contributors for any guidance you can offer. This is a picture of my son thinking about Sadie, a little girl in his class that he likes. It was taken later in the afternoon on a cloudy day. I edit in photoshop elements. My camera was set at ISO 100, f-stop 5.6, no flash, 55mm focal length. I am happy I was able to save the picture from darkness, but what else could I do to brighten it up, or should I?

Sky Watch Friday!

Technically it is only Thursday evening for me, but obviously the party has already begun! After sky gazing all day, trying to get a beautiful shot of the clouds the show finally began. I was stranded in the parking lot of the school where my 8 year old's soccer team was having practice. Today I pulled the short straw and had to hang out there for nearly two hours! I missed my zumba class which has me annoyed and was just basically feeling sorry for myself. Ridiculous! I'm gonna miss these days, and it will be one day soon as the 8 year old is my baby. Anyways, it had been cloudy and dramatic all day with only teases of sun, and suddenly just as it was growing dark, this: How lovely. I tried to edit it, but could not make it look any better. This is basically a SOOC.

You Capture: Feels like Fall

Took a drive to the beach on Monday, a glorious golden day, weather wise. The beach was nearly deserted. A few locals and us. Feels like Fall.

Wearing Wellies!!

As I was rushing around recently, trying to make it out the door in time for the start of yet another soccer game (we have as many as 10 a week), my daughter in a moment of brilliance(she has many) said "Mom, you can wear your boots today, the weather is perfect!" I had purchased the polka dot wellingtons for a song last year. I couldn't afford to leave them on the shelf at Target for the %75 off they were. They are so cute and I am a sucker for polka-dots! I recently checked online and Target has over 50 different prints to chooses from this season, but no clearance yet. Anyways, I have not worn them often and have not successfully convinced my daughter to take up wearing them as she tends to like to fade into the crowd and not draw attention to herself. Since none of her 15 year old friends had worn a pair of rubber polka-dot boots to school she did not want to be the first. " Be the first!" I told her, they will all have them soon, but I have yet to convince her. She was right though, a rainy , nearly Fall day when I would be schellping onto a muddy soccer field that is often covered in goose poop was the perfect day for me to wear them. I quickly pulled them on and headed out the door. When I arrived my two closest " Mom"friends were already there, sitting in their bag chairs and look what was on their feet. Wellies! They had just purchased theirs that morn. and had ended up with identical boots.