Wordless Wednesday

A wintry walk in the woods was a perfect way to spend yesterday afternoon with my boys and friends. Until, we thought we heard a bear snarling off in the distance. My bad guy hating, BB gun loving, super hero fanatic, military admiring, most macho youngest son could not get out of there fast enough. Lol. He ran ahead panic stricken, yelling "Mom, come on, hurry up!!" as I continued to snap photos. We were the noisiest bunch in those peaceful woods. I don't imagine a bear would have ventured very close to us. Anyway, I thought bears hibernate in the Winter?

It's Wordless Wednesday, have a good one:).http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Outside Looking In

Before
After

I am blog hopping today at www.pixelperfectblog.com. Taking a break from wrapping and cleaning and cooking and folding and shopping, etc. I edited this in photo shop elements with cropping and tweaking color saturation and temperature mostly. My niece is such a beauty. In the middle of her first dance class she grabbed a book and sat down in her tutu and ballet slippers to read. I think she thought she was at story time. Lol.

First Ballet Class

Before
After

I took this with my point and shoot canon. I edited in adobe elements and then further editing in picnik, which I am loving. I paid the yearly fee to upgrade, only $20 something I think.

Check out all the dreamy edits at: www.pixelperfectblog.com.

New Edit

I am loving editing and re-editing photos on www.picnik.com.

The possisibilites and creativity is endless.

Sunrise, Sunrise

Mosaic for Monday

I am linking up with Mary at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/ . Today is Monday with the holidays fast approaching. Uggh. I am not a fan, but can't put into words just why. But still I am thankful.

The sweet little blue eye above belongs to my two year old niece who I have been spending my days with lately. It's nice to have a little one around again; and then to send her home for bath and bed and still get a good night sleep myself.

Skywatch

You can check out the world at http://skyley.blogspot.com.

Pear

Skywatch Friday

Celebrating Friday this week with a skywatch photo taken last Saturday and posted today, which is actually Thursday. My daughter hurdles and indoor track season is fast approaching. She wanted to go to the track and practice a little last weekend after her Dad complained that she was spending too much time sitting on the couch, texting her boyfriend. I think she is amazing, first impressing us with just trying this sport, and then

becoming competent enough to compete. All the while with a disinterested coach.

This week I started watching my two year old niece during the day. She found my daughter's old baby doll, tucked in a low book shelf in Aubrie's room, and now drags it around the house. Does that ever bring me back and remind me how fleeting time is. My baby girl no longer needs to be buckled into her car seat, she is learning to drive the car. She hurdles.

I would give almost anything to have her, my first born as her two year old self for a day.

http://skyley.blogspot.com.

Before and Afters

I Heart Faces: Orange

I am entering the I Heart Faces weekly photo contest with an orange theme. Since I heart this photo and this face I thought this would be the perfect picture to enter. Good luck everyone.:)

Birds on a Wire

Monochrome

I took this photo yesterday in the school parking lot while picking up my younger boys to take them for flu shots. The pediatrician's office had an opening at 2:30 which would mean having to get Gabe over and hour before school is normally dismissed. It is always a dream of Gabe's to be dismissed early from school. He used to beg me to do so. So even though he was being taken for a shot, he was smiling from ear to ear as he walked up the school hallway to the office, dragging his backpack and looking a little green. He had just returned from "his best field trip ever" but had gotten a little nauseated on the bus ride back. Nevertheless, he was thrilled to be leaving fourth grade early to get a flu shot on a friday afternoon in November. I had to laugh at the sight of him.

When we got outside to get into the van the sky had turned all dramatic, the sun and clouds fighting it out after a day and a half of rain. I turned the photo black and white for Monochrome Weekend, but really like the bottom original photo that is nearly monochrome itself. That one is my screen saver.

Happy Weekend:)

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Front Yard Skywatch

Joining in today with folks around the globe for skywatch Friday. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. http://skyley.blogspot.com.

Doing the pixel perfect blog hop again. Just love that dance! I took this photo on vacation this past Summer in Virginia. I was so far from the ponies and my old point and shoot camera does not have much zoom capabilities. I really didn't expect too much from these photos, but was pleasantly surprised of the detail I was able to capture and then enhance in photo shop elements. It was a hazy hot day, over 100 degrees out.

Can't wait to check out the rest of the before and afters.

Join me at: http://www.pixelperfectblog.com/.

Mellow Yellow Macro Monday

Much to do:

Shop and hurry and watch and wait.

Fold and drive and make and bake.

Love and kiss and tolerate.

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

http://lisaschaos.blogspot.com/

Monochrome Weekend: Waiting for the Bus

My littlest man, waiting for the bus on a gray wednesday morn.

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/

Before and After

I am participating in the pixelperfect blog hop this week with this photo I took of my daughter a few weeks ago. I took this with my Canon Rebel using the basic kit lens that

tends to warp close up portrait photographs. Which did happen in several macro shots I tried to take. I like the angle I took this photo at. She was sitting on the hammock and I was slightly above and did not zoom in completely close, but then later cropped it slightly. I edited this using Adobe Photoshop Elements, tweaking contrast and temperature mostly. I was able to smooth out her skin using the band-aid tool, and tried to give her eyes a little extra sparkle by isolating them with the magic wand tool and correcting focus and contrast. I love how it turned out. It was taken in natural light and with a slight temperature push she looks like she is sitting on the beach on an island in the South Pacific, not in New England in the Fall amongst the leaves and soccer balls. Or maybe it's just the flower in her hair. :) http://www.pixelperfectblog.com/. See you there. Lovethatshot.com.

Wordless Wednesday

Trying to remain wordless :). Have a good one.

Love

My oldest son showed me how to "picnik" http://picnik.com my photos, basically a free funky editing site, popular with facebookers. I was able to turn my photos into polaroids, which I've been wanting to figure out how to easily do. I also did a 1970's thing to it to get that goldish glow that photos from back then have. I'm not sure if it was just the newer color developing, or the glow cast from all the gold, and rust color decor that was popular back in the day. My mother loved that color pallet, along with green accents. There sure was nothing like rust colored shag carpeting, although she didn't go that far.

I do love how this photo turned out.

Tall

Shadow Love

Busy beautiful day spent painting my daughters room. Her 11 year old brother begged to help and spent most of the day close by, under foot, and ultimately being a great help to me today. As the sun began to set in the sky I realized how great the shadow possibilities on the east wall in her newly painted pink bedroom are. Donovan agreed to pose for me. Somehow I had found time to cut his hair in between coats of paint and crank phone calls from 11 year old girls, hence his crisp head silhouette and cute little ears sticking out. I can see why the girls are calling.

It's shadow shot Sunday. Have a good one. http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

Sky Watch Friday

http://skyley.blogspot.com.

I took this photo earlier this week from my door step, between rainy days. A perfect Fall sunset sky. Happy skywatching.

View From a Mini Van

Luckily it's not really a monochrome weekend. Today, after many inches of rain and grayness this week, the colors are vivid and the sun is strong. It's a vitamin D soaking up kind of day. We need to get it while we can. I have become more health conscious as my Mom struggles with her cancer diagnosis and I am over come with the grief of it all. Hers, mine, ours. I am trying to singles handedly change the eating habits of a whole family as we "eat for life".

The sun is setting earlier, as I wait in front of the high school to pick up my son after his soccer game. Soon we will be eating dinner in the dark.

http://blackandwhiteweekend.blogspot.com/.

West Coast Swing

Before and After Blog Hop

I am linking with http://pixelperfect.blog.com/ today. The blog hop makes me think of dancing.

Peyton Plays

Skywatch Friday

We have discovered this lovely fishing spot on a river that is about a 12 min. drive from our home. Who knew. We went back last weekend for a few stolen hours. These pictures were taken looking opposite directions up and down the river. The guys fish and I read my book, relax and take deep breaths. It is heavenly.

You can check out many heavenly skies around the world at: http://skyley.blogspot.com.

I Heart Faces, especially this one

I am entering this photo of my adorable nephew in the I Heart Faces weekly contest. This photo is a fav of mine. I had the pleasure of taking about fifty photos of my him one early Summer evening. At first he kind of went along with my idea of doing a photo shoot, giving me forced cheesy smiles. But then he really got into it. It was so funny he turned into a little GQ model by the time I was finished and told him we were done. This was one of the last photos I snapped that day. The sun was beginning to set and I think he was pondering his existence, or something. LOL. "Can we do this again next time I come over?" Aunt Kathy he asked.