Picking Poppies

Foto Friday - Courtesy of the Cuttlefish

2012-02-24T11:50:00.000-06:00

Just as predicted, its been another really gray week!

And while we don't have to contend with snow, we are quite used to seeing the sun

on a regular basis. I have to say, the sun . . . its been MIA!

This past weekend my daughter had a solo and ensemble competition and instead of taking the bus and

waiting there all day, she asked if we would drive her there when it was her turn.

After we dropped her off we had about forty minutes until we needed to go back and get her,

and yes of course, I brought my camera. It was a very rural area, and every now and again

we would find a small herd of cattle, maybe even a very small barn. But as luck would have it on these

2 lane roads, it seemed there was always a vehicle behind us when I found something of interest

and not much a shoulder to pull off over and let them go by.

What was that about a cuttlefish you ask?

Well, I'm sure most of us know that when we talk about Sepia in photography that we're talking about

a photograph made in a brown color. But I was curious as to what the actual definition was and found

something interesting that I didn't know. I learned that sepia is a brown ink-like pigment that is secreted

from the Cuttlefish when alarmed. It's used with brush or pen in drawing and as an artist's watercolor.

They began using this toning effect in the 1880s giving the black and white a warmer tone. And lucky

for us in the digital age we can do this with a click of a button as you can't do this to a color photograph

in the darkroom.

So, since this was such a drab and gray week and given what I did find to photograph this week (mostly brown anyway) I decided that they looked more interesting in the sepia tones.

Soooo much rain lately, which is helping to ease our drought, but a little too much at one time....

Normally water isn't found in these, it's just for run off and it looks like those horses found a few puddles!

{P52 - Cabin Fever - I think even the horses were glad to get out after all this rain!}

This was on the coastal birding trail, and just when I was getting in the car I saw (and heard) him flying through the trees and got back out and crossed my fingers that I could find him AND that he wouldn't fly away. He must have been hungrier than he was bothered by me and I just watched in amazement as he

caught fish after fish.

{Shoot, edit, submit}

And the bees are busy again!

{Photo Art Friday choice #1 - It started out sepia and I added a little color back in, a slight dual tone

with blue and yellow, and some pencil sketch}

Is anyone else a little freaked out that February is almost over? It feels like father time has turned

up the dial and I'm not liking it at all! Hope this finds you at the edge of a wonderful weekend!!

Love, Kim

I spy . . .

2012-02-21T10:44:00.000-06:00

. . . with my little eye . . .

"And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know.

There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play,

singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around - in the air and on the ground.

And if you watch all nature's things, you might just see a fairy's wing."

~Author Unknown

. . . the flowers and the light were so magical I thought I saw . . .

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,

it's a way of looking at things through the wrong end of the telescope.

Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

- Dr. Suess

- I think that Dr. Suess was really on to something -

Hope your day is filled with imagination and creativity, you just never know where it may lead!

Love, Kim

Sharing with Communal Global, and...

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-02-18T22:19:00.000-06:00

Well, I am thankful that I was able to get all but one of these prompts

inside this week - I think I saw the sun but once as it's been raining, raining, and raining some more!

And I'm NOT complaining mind you, we have been in such a severe drought, it's

just that this adventure girl is getting a bit of cabin fever!!

And well, everything is overflowing its banks . . . .

I'm hoping to be as lucky this coming week . . . I don't think the rain is leaving anytime soon.

So on to the prompts . . .

1. Love - I sure have gotten a lot of mileage out of my pink roses this week, and decided to combine an image of a rose with some words I wrote this week about love . . . .

2. Duplicated - I have a bit of an obsession lately with reflections . . . AND taking the image, duplicating it, and combing the two.

3. Trend - My trend is to well, not follow trends . . . I have a tendency to dance to the beat of my own drum, oblivious to what is in or out - it makes life a whole lot easier! ; ) But, and I'm so glad because I have a photo from this week that works, I googled color trends for Spring 2012 and Tangerine Tango is one of them. And so is Cabaret {intense rose}, a form of pink and my favorite color. So it looks like I'll be trendy by accident this Spring!

4. Paper - This is a two for one {Love and paper}, I have always wanted to do this and had a hard time finding the right book . . . it definitely needs to be a bigger book so the pages will stay in place.

5. Plastic - This prompt had me looking around the house to find something interesting. . . and then I remembered these little beauties in my studio . . . vintage lucite trumpet beads {aka, plastic}. Now I'm feeling a little inspired to create something with them. Lucite was used extensively in war supplies during WWII after which they started using it for the ever popular lucite rings in the 50's and 60's.

Until the next hunt,

Love, Kim

P.S. - Don't forget to check out everyone else's prompts, they are always inspiring!

A Little Piece of Heaven . . . . .

2012-02-17T11:14:00.000-06:00

. . . . . and the promise of Spring.

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want-oh,

you don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

Yes, this is exactly how I felt when I was at the nursery otherwise known as Cornelius, or if
you live in the Dallas area, Calloway's. I don't get there very often as it's an hour away, but I had
a doctors appointment and it's just down the street from there. And talk about timing . . as I walked
into the store I kid you not the song from Top Gun came on, "You Take My Breath Away"!

And that it did!

I felt like ~~a kid in a candy store~~ a person with a camera in a flower shop! ; )
It was like . . . walking in . . . and finding a little piece of heaven.
And after the gloominess of the last couple of weeks, it was much needed. So much gorgeous
color and every single petal on every flower was simply perfect, and I snapped my heart away!
Most everything was on tables that were only a foot tall, and if I wanted to get eye level with
the flowers I was going to have to get down on the ground.

Did I mention that they had just watered? A lot of water?

Yeah, I was pretty much a soggy mess when I left, but hey it's all about the photo op, right?
I did manage to get some very curious looks, and some interesting questions. I even had a lady
pull out her point and shoot camera so I could show her how to work it. I'm afraid I wasn't much help.

It was partly sunny that day and these flowers were inside, but instead of a roof there were
mesh tarps which acted as a wonderful diffuser. I just loved these Osteospermum's and spent so much
time with them that I didn't get to much else. I may have to make a trip back.....

{Shoot, submit, edit}

{P52 project -My 3 boybarians}

{Photo Art Friday, Foto Friday with Lori}

I hope you enjoyed the little piece of heaven I found, and wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Anyone else have Spring Fever?

Love, Kim

Love . . . .

2012-02-14T14:07:00.000-06:00

It's universal

and knows no bounds

it has infinite power to change lives

does not divide . . . but multiplies

it lives within all of us

and is not something you can keep just for yourself

strong, yet so fragile

and should be nothing but unconditional

it's an expression of yourself

and being open to the expression of others

it represents compassion and affection

and when used appropriately it is . . . colorblind

supporting, yet not overbearing

a basic human need

and a deep spiritual connection in the depth of your soul

understanding and forgiving

although sometimes it's complicated

it has a unique ability to stretch the heart

patient and kind

definitely not boastful

one huge requirement is acceptance

and it should include random acts of kindness

sometimes, it just feels like and unexplainable mystery

a feeling that is hard to define

it's sharing, believing and dreaming

and it endures all, hopes all, and bears all things

it is spoken in different languages all over the world

and in unselfishly expressed actions

it hurts when that special someone doesn't feel it back

something that can make you laugh and cry at the same time

there is no age limit

you feel this when you genuinely care for someone

a parent, a child, a friend

but, let's also not keep it from strangers

sometimes it's scary

our words put into action

it can be passionate and romantic

and it will have its highs and lows

sometimes sadness and tears will come with it

songs are written about it

it is expressed in our art

and millions of words have been spoken about it

the bible says to do this to our neighbors as we would do unto ourselves

it may not make the world go around, but it's a really good place to start

and is something no one should ever be without

it seems to be one of the most motivating emotions know to man...

It's called LOVE and I hope it spreads like wildfire!

I {heart} you,

Kim

Sharing with communal global and:

A Reflection

2012-02-13T09:39:00.002-06:00

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done,"

and those who say, "All right then, have it your way."

- C.S. Lewis

I'm working on being that first person. It's hard. I'm trying to listen, I'm trying.

Trying to reflect God's will with as little ripples in the water as possible.

Sometimes It's just hard.

Have a great Monday -

Love, Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-02-11T23:09:00.000-06:00

As I get older I don't really like to wish my weeks away,

but I'm going to say I'm glad this one is over.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad week, just really, really long!

Besides being long, it was one of the busiest I've had and in fact I

only found my prompts hours ago, and all from home which is not the norm for me.

1. Facial Feature: My soon to be 17 year old daughter and although I did take this at home, I had to pull this from the archives . . . I had planned on using her for this one anyway, but she wasn't feeling well today.

2.Shadow: I almost missed this one by the time we got home today. I had a couple of other ideas, but the sun was low and the shadows on the ground were just too loooooong. So plan "B" was to use the brick on the house, but gosh the sun was faster than we were so it was on to the hallelujah plan. It didn't really float my boat until I added the color. Now I quite like it!

3. Spicy: Not your typical spicy . . . but with Valentine's Day around the corner, well . . . I was thinking more on the lines of love and some spicy romance!!

4. Gold: A heart of gold . . . at first I struggled with this one, I don't have much that is gold around the house and then I had that aha moment! I received the most incredible note that accompanied this beautiful piece of art that a friend sent me this week and I was so incredibly touched!! You should check out more of her art here.

5. Fabric: The fabric of your life . . . today my son played his last middle school basketball game. And although he still has track and 7 on 7 football this spring, this is the last time he will wear the number 22 on a jersey this year. The commercials may have you thinking that the fabric of your life is only made of cotton, but when your life is woven together by many sports it would mean the fabric of your life would have to include some polyester!

I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with - Have a great Sunday!

Love, Kim

Join in the fun over at Ashley's

Wordless Wednesday . . .

2012-02-08T16:18:00.000-06:00

. . . with a few words.

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less to clean up afterward."

- Kurt Vonnegut

Yep, that would sum up this week so far, frustration and exhaustion!

And since I have no time for clean up, I will just laugh - unless of course I laugh so hard that
I .....well, you know!

I wanted to let you know that you may not see me back here until Sunday.

I have one last hurrah of consessions stand to run for my son's basketball tournament

tomorrow and Saturday - 10 schools are coming! YIKES

And, after last weekend's ~~unfortunate meeting with the bathroom wall~~ incident, I haven't

felt uber-talented in the area of multi-tasking!

I am however pretty confident that should someone mention again that they threw my name in the hat
for booster club next year that this might be my response! Muahahaha ;)

"Carry laughter with you wherever you go."
- Hugh Sidey
I hope this finds you having a good week, or at the very least I hope
the photo made you smile. It's all downhill from here to the weekend, Yeah!

And if you're reading this and your name is Jill, you know who you are, thank you for all your help.
YOU ROCK!!

Love, Kim
XO

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-02-05T00:07:00.000-06:00

Well, this is going to be short and sweet . . . not feeling quite myself after I blacked out in the bathroom last night and planted my face into the corner wall. It has been a rough couple of weeks to say the least! So while you check out what I found (or scrapped from the archives-sorry) I'll be over there with an icepack....

1. Strike a pose: While on a walk last weekend I stopped off at a nursery that also sells many small statues.
There was no problem getting them to strike a pose! ; )

2. Footwear: The jury is out on this one . . . they have all gone to the beach and are barefoot! lol

3. Hobby: One of my many other hobbies is making jewelry. I wove by hand the viking knit chain and attached are also fine silver charms I made by hand and fired in my kiln. Unfortunately the price of silver has gotten so high that I haven't worked with it in a while.

4. Shiny: Can't think of anything shinier than the sun.

5. Color me Green: . . . against a sparkly blue ocean.

Here is to the hope of a new and better week.

Love, Kim

Foto Friday - Hide and seek

2012-02-03T09:57:00.002-06:00

Last weekend I felt the need to get out and get some fresh air, but it was pretty late in the day
and found myself thinking twice about going as I wasn't sure if I would make it before I lost the light . . . I decided to go anyway and I'm glad I did. It seems a lot of others had the same idea and the places I normally park to walk the trail were full up, and the sun was quickly setting. I drove a bit further and found a spot
along side the road right by the {small} bridge I would've crossed {by foot} anyway. I began to walk,
towards the ocean . . .

"It is light that reveals, light that obscures, light that communicates.

It is light I "listen" to. The light late in the day has a distinct quality,

as it fades toward the darkness of evening. After sunset there is a

gentle leaving of the light, the air begins to still, and a quiet descends.

I see magic in the quiet light of dusk. I feel quiet yet intense energy in

the natural elements of our habitat. A sense of magic prevails.

A sense of mystery. It is a time for contemplation, for listening -

a time for making photographs."

- John Sexton

. . . and right before I crossed that {small} bridge this caught my eye. The light of dusk has such

a beautiful golden glow about it, soft and painterly are the reflections.

After I had my brief moment by the ocean, I turned around in a race to get back before

the sun was completely gone, which turned into a game of hide and seek. And well, a race to avoid

the mosquitoes too!

I had just gotten back to the bridge and in less than 10 minutes the sun was slipping away . . .

the shadows were coming out to play.

A little fun in picnik, boy am I going to miss picnik!! Hmmm, I might have to put this on a canvas . . .

I used smudge, ripple blocks and then hex dots and to top it off a slight texture, all picnik.

{Photo Art Friday}

And sometimes what is barely visible by the light, is revealed by the interception of it. I could hardly

see that heron sitting there until I saw his shadow.

{P52 project, Shoot edit submit}

It's time to head home . . . for both of us!

Next time I should probably take a flashlight, I barely got off the trail before I couldn't see where I was going, which considering I was sharing this habitat with alligators and snakes . . . well, I should just

leave earlier next time! ; ) Funny how the mind plays tricks when you can't see well, and your

hearing becomes heightened. I imagined all kinds of lions, and tigers and bears oh my!

"The other day when I was walking through the woods,

I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree."

- Stephen Wright

I often only visit this area in the early morning, sometimes afternoon, but I will be going back again

at dusk to visit this beautiful light and the lack of it and the story it tells me in its reflections.

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!! ; )

Love, Kim

Exploring with a camera

A Photo-Heart Connection

2012-02-02T12:29:00.000-06:00

This is the first of a monthly photo-heart connection over at The Kat Eye studio
where we can share that one photo we had the strongest connection to
within this last month. No rules of technicality, just emotion.
Kat explains a little of her process for choosing her photo here.

The photo I chose was actually taken the week before the new year when after Christmas we took a day

trip to San Antonio to see some of the missions. As always, the family goes on ahead while I linger with

with my camera, fully present in the moment and as they will tell you with no sense of time at all.
And that would be true!

I found myself lingering at this spot for a while, and at first without my camera to my eye. I was completely

drawn in to this spot, captivated by the light, wondering where it lead and what was just beyond these stairs? I felt a whisper of the past and a pull to the future and it was as if these stairs bridged the two.

The light in this image reminds me that I'm recognizing my own light, becoming more aware and less afraid of it. I know that may sound strange, but I have always had difficulty with this and my camera has been instrumental in helping me find that light - no pun intended! ; ) The gate reminds me that what can protect can also bind. And the stairs, well those stairs seem to connect it all together . . . solid but worn. They connect the past with the future allowing me a glimpse of how far I've come and the anticipation of where I am going. It's there, just beyond my reach . . . I see it!! And I no longer want to stand behind the gate.

Love, Kim

Check out more photo-heart connections here:

Also linking up with:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-29T01:50:00.000-06:00

Wow!

Did this week go as fast for everyone else? It seems time is on warp speed lately, but then
again Christmas feels like it was forever ago......

Thank you for your comments last week regarding my monitor. I think the bionic women gig is over tomorrow when I go to the doctor for my stress test, hopefully I live to tell about it! ha

Okay, onward we go . . .

1. Smile: Pulled from the archives this week, and this was a smile I will never, never forget. This is the smile of a very happy and content little girl, you see, she had just been reunited with her daddy after almost a year. I had the privilege of being invited by a friend to welcome home her husband and his troop from Iraq almost 2 years ago . . . an emotional day, one that is hard to explain in words.

2. Stand Alone: Last weekend I went to a concert by Josh Wilson, a contemporary Christian artist and at the very end of the concert the other members of the band left the stage, and Josh "stood alone" and played the instrumental version of Amazing Grace. You can see more of Josh in concert here.

3. Rusty or something old: Yikes, I had to pull another from the archive. This one from a turn of the century fence in Galveston.

4. Artificial: Since I started back to my metals class this week after taking almost a year off I had jewelry on the brain, and pulled out my imitation diamonds and simulated rubies . . . real or not I do love sparkly things!

5. Repeating patterns: At the risk of repeating myself . . . I know, bad joke, I'm sharing yet one more monarch butterfly this week. Nature has some of the best patterns around!!

And as always I can't wait to see how everyone else interpreted the prompts this week.

Join me, over at Ashely's . . . .

Kim

In the picture . . . pieces of you

2012-01-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

i have

something

in common

with a puzzle

we both

have a lot

of pieces and

the only way to

see the whole

put

the pieces together.

Over at Urban Muser we are exploring self-portraiture (gasp) and the theme this month is pieces of you.

I think it may take a lot of pieces of me before I am remotely comfortable sharing my whole.

And although this may be a small and soft focused piece, I did let it reveal a little something about me.

pieces, joined together make a whole

Until the next piece,

Kim

You can join me here at the Urban Muser for more "pieces of you"

Foto Friday - Life is not a snapshot . . .

2012-01-27T13:13:00.000-06:00

. . . by Josh Wilson.

Sunday night I had the opportunity to see contemporary Christian artist, Josh Wilson

in concert at our church. My daughter and I went together and met a few of her friends there and not

knowing exactly what to expect or where we would be sitting I took my camera anyway, "just in case".

But for me there is always that looming possibility of frustration in having my camera and not being able
to be in the right place, versus being in the right place and not having brought my camera to begin with.
It's a double edged sword sometimes. That's why now I usually just bring it with me because I'm learning that
the first frustration is far easier to get over than the second one.

I took my 50mm lens, the only one I have that would allow me to take in low light, but was going to need
to be pretty close to the stage. When we got there the prime seats were gone . . .grrrr . . . frustration.
And just when I was about to relinquish all possibility of capturing something, anything, I saw that they
were making a little area to stand right in front of the stage. And if there is one thing I'm quickly learning is that if you really want the opportunity of getting the shot you have to be willing to put yourself in places you wouldn't normally go. Sometimes that feels awkward, but the more I do it the easier it gets.

So, my daughter and I, and her friends stood only feet away from the stage for 2 wonderful hours and
I just clicked my heart away. I have to say that I was pretty captivated by the light and shadows. Whew this was definitely a new learning curve for me, but very fun!

{Shoot, edit, submit}

{One of my daughters friends, since mine wouldn't let me take her picture : ( - It was really hard to get enough light on here face so my camera would focus and let me take the picture)

{Photo art Friday}

One of my favorite songs is "Before the Morning" from his cd, Life Is Not A Snapshot.

In part of the lyrics he says, "but life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time

but you'll see the bigger picture." That's something for me to think about as it's easy not to see

the big picture sometimes when I worry more about the moment.

Have a great weekend!

Love, Kim

P.S. Here is "Before The Morning" music video if you're interested

A memoir . . . in six words

2012-01-26T14:57:00.001-06:00

I know what your thinking,

there is NO way that I am going to tell a story in six words.
And you would most likely be right!

In my Beyond Layers class with Kim Klassen I was first challenged

to think about my own creative story and perhaps write about it, maybe even share it.

I haven't gotten so far on that story yet . . . I'm pretty sure that will be more than six words.

So when I got the next challenge it was one that I was able to accomplish in seconds before
leaving the house on Monday for my metals class. I knew that if I didn't just write the first thing
that came to my mind I would've thought far too hard about it. The idea is one that originated from
Smith Magazine and is one that, although our story could really fill hundreds upon hundreds
of pages, sometimes all we need are just a few words.

Finding my wings, learning to fly...

These are the words that rolled off my fingertips from pen to paper.

This last year has been one of growth for me, both as a person and in my photography.
But to continue that growth I know I have to leave the safety of the cocoon behind, part of my old self,
in order to fully transform into that butterfly with wings.

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked.
"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

"Hope for the Flowers" - Trina Paulus

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly"

- Richard Buckminster Fuller

What would your six word memoir look like?
I would love to hear your six word story.

Love, Kim
XO

Let the sunshine . . .

2012-01-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

When the moon is in the seventh house,

and Jupiter aligns with Mars. . .

I definitely feel like there are times like these when everything is aligned
just right, when I'm at the place at the moment I'm supposed to be.

And . . .

then there are the times when I'm in the car driving someone to school or on
my way to a game when all I can do is look in my rear view mirror and dream of the missed shot.
And, listen to my daughter tell me we're going to crash because I can't seem to divert my
eyes from the beauty! Okay, just for the record we have never crashed! ; )

So as I promised, here are some more of the shots from what was for us a spur of the moment
sunset. We were on our way home from the reenactment in Galveston and just as the sun was
slipping ever so quickly below the horizon we drove past an open area where you could
actually see it setting, and being on the wrong side of the highway we had to turn around.

This was one of the first shots I took, although I didn't quite get the sun burst I was after.

And another one similar to a shot a shared earlier.

After I got some shots in this spot the sun was barely visible and the light fading fast.

So I got back in the car and we started to drive off when a few hundred feet further I look out

the window and yell WOW, which really means stop!

There was this stretch of water in the marsh and it was sooo still and reflecting the sky perfectly,

and out of the blue up pops this Cormorant. These guys are Houdini-like in their swimming abilities.

And right on cue - he was the perfect touch!

And just when I thought I was finished snapping, we drove yet another hundred feet . . .

"At sunset nature is painting for us . . . day after day . . . pictures of infinite beauty."

- John Ruskiin

Now if I could only figure out how to time perfectly a train that goes across this marshland.

A train silhouette and a sunset . . . . ahhhhh!

But I'm afraid that might require a few more planets other than just Jupiter and Mars to be aligned?

Hope your Monday has been a good one!

Love, Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-21T23:10:00.000-06:00

It's super Scavenger Hunt Sunday . . .

Don't you love being in the right place at the right time? I know I sure do, especially

when I didn't know that was where I was supposed to be.

Yup, that's right, I'm talking about our first prompt.

When I linked up last week and saw that our first one for this week was a sunset

I think I started dancing . . . it was the last thing I took a photo of after our adventure in Galveston.

So without delay . . . .

1. Sunset: TA DA!! I don't get many sunsets, not because I don't like them but because really it's easier for me to get up early for a sunrise then to find the right spot in the evening. But lucky for me that we could pull over (okay and turn around) to get this on our way home from the Battle of Galveston reenactment. I got a few right before it disappeared, and then, how lucky to have a cormorant just show up!! : )

2. Black and White: I didn't get out much this week but I did manage to sneak over to my favorite spot, the butterfly garden, on the remote chance I would find something, anything! And can you believe I found not one but half a dozen Monarch butterflies? I guess they decided the hike to Mexico was just too long - can't say I blame them. And the butterfly weed is still growing strong!

3. A day in my life: To be honest I second guessed posting this one, but the truth is, this IS a day in my life right now. I've not felt well for a while and I'm having my heart monitored to try and figure out what is going on. As you can see I have quite a stash of these, two weeks worth, and I certainly don't have enough crew neck shirts to hide them! ; )

4. Group of four: These are from the reenactment that I mentioned earlier, and sorry to those of you who are seeing these for the second time this weekend. If you haven't and are interested you can see more here.

4. Colorful: Not sure I'm crazy about this one, but I ran out of time and energy to take any more shots. These are my TEEN-age daughters crayons, the ones she asked for and got for Christmas! ; ) I love how they are in a circular container...all 150 of them.

That concludes this weeks hunt and I look forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with!

Have a fabulous rest of the weekend!

Love, Kim

Foto Friday - Battle of Galveston, a reenactment

2012-01-21T16:17:00.000-06:00

So, as I shared earlier this week, we had a little adventure last weekend.

And I DO love a little adventure, don't you?

It just so happens that there was a reenactment of the Battle of Galveston, its 149th.

Now, I have also shared that I've never been much of a history person, but that seems to be changing as it's not as much fun to watch these things if you don't know what's going on. And, to be honest
I had no recollection that there was even a battle in Galveston during the Civil War.
So, I'm going to try and give you as condensed a version as I can. And if you're not really into the history

of it then by all means skip this and proceed straight to the photos.
* * * * * * *

Okay, in October of 1862 the Union sailed some of their ships into the Galveston harbor and demanded

its surrender. And I guess I should note that at the time this was the most important port in Texas.

The Federal ships were fired on and they fired back. A truce was arranged so the island commander could move his troops to the mainland, and the Union ships continued to hold the harbor while they waited for back up to occupy the wharf and patrol the town.

In the meanwhile, the district commander of the island was replaced and he began to organize

the recapture of Galveston. He used two river steamers for the naval attack and gathered infantry and cavalry accompanied by artillery to cross the railroad bridge back to the island to capture the federals that were ashore.

It was New Year's night, 1863, and the confederates entered Galveston and opened fire. They weren't able to seize the wharf, because of all things their ladders were too short -oops - and the naval guns drove them back. In comes the river steamers that attack from behind, one sinks and the other one is able to seize one of the federal ships. One of the other federal ships runs aground and rather than surrender the union commander dies trying to blow up his own ship! That didn't work out so well for him and the other union ships decided
to sail back out to sea.

And so there you have it - Galveston was retaken but with the loss of 26 killed and 117 wounded as
well as 150 losses on the Union ships. . . The end.

It was a bit challenging to get good photos of the battle itself with all the bystanders as many of them
thought they were the only ones there with their cameras. And let's just say being short didn't help.

What I loved was that there were two encampments, one Union and one Confederate. The camps were set up as close as possible to how they would have been back in the Civil War.

For two days and nights they lived as authentically as they would have back in 1862,

sleeping in tents on straw beds . . .

and cooking their meals over an open fire.

Everywhere you turned within a few blocks you were transported back in time.....

The Union soldiers make their entrance into town,

and get ready for battle . . .

Here come the Confederates . . .

and a battle ensues . . . and it was LOUD!

I had lucky timing on this one - I sure never noticed the orange when they fired!

And there were a few casualties, not real of course!

We had the opportunity to talk with many of the men who participated and they even tried to recruit

my husband. In fact, one of them suggested that I should dress up and make a wooden box for my camera and follow them onto the battlefield so I could take pictures. Hmmm, now that might be kinda fun! ; )

{Shoot, edit, submit)

And as we were driving home, the timing was perfect to stop and capture a little sunset action. A few minutes

later and we would have missed it. But the real action is either right before a sunrise or right after the sunsets.

I still have more to share, stay tuned . . .

Hopefully, I will get back on track with Foto Friday's - I've been feeling a little under the weather lately.

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend!

Love, Kim

Wordless Wednesday . . .

2012-01-18T09:37:00.001-06:00

Wordless, really?

Okay, biting my lip. Oh, but..............okay.

I'm just going to say ONE thing - this was just the beginning to a most incredible sunset!

And....I will share more later in the week!

Love, Kim

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy . . .

2012-01-17T17:45:00.002-06:00

That got your attention didn't it?

And if not, well, then all I can say is you must not be from Texas!

While it's no secret that I do love an adventure I whole heartedly believe it's not where you go

as much as it is what you do along the way to where it is your going. Because if I can't find adventure

in my own backyard, chances are I'm not going to find it on a remote vacation destination in some far off exotic land. Oh, but don't get me wrong I would jump at the chance! ; )

Wait, did you say Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy . . . yes I'm getting there.

When out on an adventure, most of which are in my own backyard, I guess you could say my favorite

part is the wandering. I enjoy being somewhat of a nomad, not having to follow any specific course but

almost always ending up in the right pasture so to speak. And I think most will agree that while we can find places to be interesting, it's really the people along the way who grab our curiosity.

In this past year I have met some fascinating people, strangers whose countless stories I have listened to, fisherman that have let me hang out with them, and some where I ended up at their kitchen table having coffee and great conversation. Some I have shared here with you, and many I have not because they weren't

my stories to share as they were quite intimate and personal details of their lives. Those that at times I have felt both burdened by and privileged to know.

And so, this brings me to the whole Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy thing . . . finally!

While out in Galveston this last weekend during an event, we came across a street musician, a singer songwriter. It's not at all unusual to find one on a street corner, in front of a store or restaurant at any given time and it's what adds to the character of the Historic District in Galveston. As we got closer my husband took out a small donation to add to the bucket and asked him if he knew a few songs. His genre was Jazzy-blues, Country-folk, Americana and the request was for "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash - and he was happy to oblige. That song rolled into a few others, which turned into an hour long conversation.

His name is Dan and he has been here in Galveston for about six months. He said the wind

blew him here from Dallas and that things are working out pretty well for him here. He continued with a few more songs, all ones that he had written, and one that I found out later on my own that won him second place in The American Songwriter Lyric Contest. And as we talked I found that he was just as interested in us as we were in him.

It wasn't only his voice and his words, but also his hands that I was drawn to.

There was history and wisdom written on them.

Dan is one of those really down-to-earth kind of people that you meet, genuine and authentic, and definitely humble. I think that's why I was drawn to his music, you could feel the authenticity in his voice that came from his heart and knowing part of someones story makes for more of a connection.

That and the fact that he lovingly compares a woman . . . . to Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy in a song

he calls, "Blue-eyed Texas Baby"!

Okay, okay, maybe you have to live here to get this one, but in Texas we do LOVE our

chicken fried steak and gravy! ; ) And it just so happens I found the song . . .did I mention I love google!

I hope you enjoy this too, (hopefully I embedded this correctly)!

Love, Kim

Linking with Monday Moments and Communal Global and:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-15T00:46:00.000-06:00

Yep it's SUNDAY already!!
And each week I think to myself, self this week I will start earlier.
And well, as usual I left my prompts until last minute.
But I did manage to get a few while we were in Galveston this weekend
to watch a reenactment of the Battle of Galveston, so here we go . . .

1. Stacked: A kettle on an iron grate stacked on top of some stacked firewood. A double stack, yeah me!

2. Winter Wonderland: Well, if I lived in the Panhandle of Texas that would be easy...but I'm on the coast and the only snow I've seen was when they brought in a snow machine to Galveston at Christmas. So the next best thing - take a tree scene, turn it into a black and white and invert it - and bingo, a winter wonderland!

3. Sweet: After our little adventure today, we stopped in to my favorite chocolate store and lucky for me everyone else had the same idea because that meant I could stand in line a little longer to shoot a few of these....raspberry truffles! (SOOC and slightly cropped)

4. Hole: Before the reenactment we visited the living history enampments where they were preparing their guns with gunpowder. This gentleman was a little surprised when I asked him if I could get a pic of the front of the gun . . . come to think of it, I was too!

5. Frozen: I thought I was going to have to pull out an archive on this one until I remembered the other morning and how I entertained myself with my coffee, again! Here you have steam, that I froze with my camera. Yes, I'm easily amused, lol!

Oh, boy I'm excited! I'm pretty sure I'll have most of my prompts before Saturday this week!

Continue to fun, go check out more scavenger hunts over at Ashley's . . .

Love, Kim

A Sunrise . . . . .

2012-01-10T11:32:00.001-06:00

. . . is the opening of the day.

I don't think there is anything comparable to watching the sun rise. Until just about 4 years ago I had never watched a sunrise, certainly not over a large body of water. I find it a little humorous though that the thing that most frightened me about moving here is now where I find so much joy. I can't even imagine not being able to get up early, well maybe not the early part, and partake in the watching of something so incredible. It's such an amazingly powerful experience, something we take for granted everyday. But everyday as the world turns, and we can pin it down to an exact time, the sun will rise. It ascends over the horizon as if by magic and makes everything new again. Besides the obvious beauty of it, I think it also represents for me consistency in an inconsistent world. That no matter what is happening in my life, I can count on the sun to rise. And right now, I need that more than anything.

"The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man."

~Author Unknown

And every time I have watched the sunrise it has been with the same painter, the only thing that changes are His brushes and His palette.

"Two golden hours somewhere between sunrise and sunset.
Both are set with 60 diamond minutes.
No reward is offered.
They are gone forever."

- Horace Mann

I would love to watch one from a skyrise in the city, with a balcony of course so I could take pictures! So curiously I wonder have you ever watched the sun rise?

Hope you are all having a peaceful day.

Love, Kim

Linked up with Communal Global and . . .

Looking . . .

2012-01-09T12:48:00.000-06:00

Two

one looking out

one looking in

each wondering

what lies on the other side

each hoping

they will be met in the middle

just as they are

without expectations.

{Mortal Muses theme: Looking out-Looking in}

Love, Kim
XO

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-07T23:53:00.001-06:00

Get your motor running, head out on the highway,
looking for adventure, on scavenger hunt Sunday . . .

Personally I'm hoping this week is better than last week,
as I hit a few unexpected bumps in the road.

And now, for your Sunday drive . . .

1. One color: Which one color doesn't belong? On our way home from watching the sunrise this morning we decided to stop at the local farmers market, of course we hadn't expected to stop and had no cash, other than a dollars worth of quarters, which did buy us three turnips! ; )

2. Laundry: I stumbled with this one, I mean laundry? Now if I were in my old house I might have photographed my awesome laundry room, but . . . since I'm not, you get this awesome bottle of laundry soap!

3. Empty: I was quite excited not only to find this Olive shell, but to find there was no one home! No I wasn't at the beach today, although I could've been since it was nearly 80 today. I took this in my make-shift beach, sand in a platter! ha

4. One dozen: My daughter made cookies today, here you see them, and now they are gone!

5. Soft: We went for our first sunrise of the year, and everything about it this morning was soft.

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone interpreted these this week,

and to see what we are looking for next week!

Until then,

Kim XO

Foto Friday - A few Missions

2011-12-30T17:53:00.002-06:00

Ya just gotta love being able to drive a few hours away from home on a mission . . .

and wind up at a Mission! Not just one, but several!!

One of the things I love about Texas is its diverse landscape where you can go from the canyons of the Texas panhandle in the Coastal Plains through the Mountains and basins and end up at the Gulf Coastal Plains. Of course that will take you an eternity of driving to get through it and in all the twenty years of
living here I have yet to have seen even a fraction of it!!

One of my favorite places we have been though is where the Spanish, during the 18th century, built a series of missions along the San Antonio river which later became the foundation they would use to build the city. And it's the largest group of missions in North America, each one with it's own gravity-fed irrigation system.

When I was in school I really, really, disliked history! And now I'm wishing I had paid a bit

more attention to it as I'm finding the history of people and their cultures fascinating. Just to roam about

where others have been, to stand where history was not only made but is still preserved today after more

than 250 years is just exciting! To open and walk through the very same doors, to stand on the very same ground of those that came before us, the ones that layed the foundation for where we are now makes me more aware of the connections we all share. The ones we make now that will affect the foundations we lay for the future, not just our own but for others.

The first Mission we arrived at was the Mission Concepcion, the oldest unrestored stone church in America and probably because they chose to build it on a foundation of bedrock. Construction began in 1731 and took a little over 20 years to build. There are twin bell towers, outside walls that are 45" thick, and original frescoes that are over 250 years old that can be found in the sacristy. The outside of the mission, well most of the missions, had colorful geometric designs that are now no longer visible and have worn off and faded with time. I was a bit disappointed to not be able to get a full view of the front of this one as they had it blocked off for some reason.

This is part of a courtyard to a side entrance into the Sanctuary.

Next we made our way to the San Juan Mission. Again, the front was blocked off and and the church was closed possibly for repairs? I don't know much about this one other than it was a self-sustaining community where Indian artisans prepared hides and made tools and cloths. They also, outside the walls of the mission had orchards and gardens and in surrounding farmland raised sheep and cattle that allowed them to survive as long as they did in their later years.

Lastly, was the largest of the missions built on the banks of the San Antonio river. It was built only several miles from one of the most famous missions, The Alamo, and as an active parish they hold mass every Sunday. It's known as the "Queen of the Missions" for being the largest and most beautiful of the five missions.

We saw this mission 2 years ago, and it is just as remarkable seeing it for second time as it was the first. And this time as I am not shooting in automatic I was paying more a lot more attention to the light and shadows of things. In fact, it seemed to be another recurring *theme* and one I will share with you soon. ; )

Are these not the most magnificent set of doors, and that carving! I heard one of the park rangers say that

it's one of the finest carvings in all of Colonial North America. One of the reasons is because the stone found in the area is much more pliable and the carvers from Mexico were able to get quite creative in their designs elements. In the collage below is the famous "Rose Window", La Ventana de Rosa, and is found on the outside of the sacristy. On the right is the same window only looking out from the sacristy. The bottom left image is what is left of the colorful geometric patterns that would have been found on the entire exterior of the mission.

This is the breathtaking view through those beautifully carved front doors!

And through doors on the left at the front of the church, that say, "Blessed Sacrament Chapel, Respect and Silence", is the sacristy and where all the lite candles represent someones request for an answered prayer.

{shoot, edit, submit}

The bell tower, that sang every 15 minutes while we were there.

And remember the irrigation system I mentioned earlier? It's a 270 year old system and is what powers this grist mill that can grind up to 600-800 lbs of flour a day if it had to. It wasn't being operated this week, but I have been able to watch the flour fall into the bucket. Talk about technology that withstands the test of time. Makes ya wonder if we are really getting smarter doesn't it?

And this, this is the view as I turned and looked back as I walked to the enormous wooden doors that the park rangers were waiting at - waiting for me so they could close - yes as usual I was the last one out.

Do you ever just feel like ya didn't have enough time somewhere? I know I had been there before, but I just didn't feel like I was able to explore every nook and cranny and that perhaps I missed something.

In thinking about these missions, and how they have been preserved through history some over 250 years, I am reminded of how we all leave our mark or not on this world. Some of the very reason these missions have survived as long as they have is because they were built on solid foundation, on bedrock, but they weren't just built physically strong. They were also built on a spiritual foundation and with faith and not to build a palace but to build a community.

So in reflecting and thinking about the new year ahead, I'm not starting over, I'm continuing. I'm continuing in that forward motion to hopefully build a foundation for what is to come in the future. Last year as I unpacked my bags in acceptance (here), it became the groundwork for my journey to discovery this year.

I didn't do it on physical strength alone, but also with faith. And without even knowing it, we all share connections that are important in each other's journeys - together we are building communities and just maybe someone will stand on the same ground that we have stood and ponder the same questions about those who have gone before them. I don't know about you but this gives me much to think about this next year. And I can't help but be a little excited about that!!

I look forward in this next year to continuing and making new connections.

Wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year!!

Love, Kim

Also sharing with Tuesday Around the World at Communal Global

"

Foto Friday - Just Two Days 'Til Christmas . . .

2011-12-23T20:41:00.001-06:00

. . . and all through the house

every creature was stirring, yes even the spouse!

Since we were out yesterday doing last minute shopping

We found that the malls are still really hopping.

There were cars strung on streets hoping to get there

and some that forgot to use their manners with care.

We had filled our pockets with some of our cash

and knew it wouldn't take long before it was gone in a flash!

I was hoping to get a glimpse of that elusive St. Nick,

and as it turns out I'm just not that quick.

So I whistled and shouted and I called him by name

but all I heard back was, "Thanks just the same."

So off to the register like coursers we flew

with a cart full of stuff and a couple of coffees too.

This shopping thing is just so much work

as the cashier looked over, he turned with a jerk

and on laying his fingers on the register keys

we knew he had done this before, he did it with ease!

He sprang into action and worked while he whistled

but we needed to dash away, as it was starting to drizzle.

And we heard him exclaim as we walked out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to you, have a good night!"

Remember

This December,

That love weighs more than gold!

- Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Okay so maybe I'm not quite finished yet, because I got caught up with my camera?

last night I was playing and I asked my son for a paper plate and some aluminum foil, for what else,

a reflector of course! ; )

He walked into the dining room and said, "Ummm, WOW!"

Yes I had made an entire mess in my dining room all over the table, but I did have fun!

And Oh, Oh Christmas Tree, with each tiny light . . . yes, Monday I finally got the tree done!

I decided that the pre-lit 15 year old tree that was no longer lighting was going to have to wait til next year, so we brought out the smaller Charlie Brown tree. There is a reason why I love a pre-lit tree, wrapping lights is way too time consuming, but whew, it's done! The thought of turning around and taking it down in a week is haunting me!

Just about everything in my house at Christmas is adorned with some kind of bird or bird related objects - birds, nests, birdhouses - one of my fav's being the glass ornaments with clips! It makes it easy for them to travel around . . .

I don't know about you, but I do love going for a ride in the car in P.J's drinking my salted carmel mocha and taking pics of all the Christmas lights! Well, as a passenger that is - I'm always so sad when it's time for them to be put away!

As we were driving around we came across this pond with the refections of the trees and being as we were in the car and I couldn't use the tripod, I had to do my best to handhold this one at 1/6s - yeah, that's tricky! I just had to go with the settings I had and I only got three shots before another car came along and the first two were a bit blurry. The street lights were an orange color and gave off this incredible light in the grass and in the sky. I'm kinda liking this picture!

{Shoot edit submit}

{linked with La-La's Home Daycare}

And what would Christmas be without some really big bokeh!

Now living on the Texas coast, snow is somewhat of a novelty and therefore there will be no Winter Wonderland, so that's when you just have to create your own!

One of my very favorite Christmas boxes to get out each year is that of my fairies - my Mark Roberts fairies!! He now has fairies for all occasions through the year. I think I've been collecting them for about 12 years now, although it's been about 5 years since I have bought one! Far too long...and now he even has elves and pixies, sigh! I could just string them through my house if my budget allowed. This was my very first one, called the Anniversary fairy and one of his very early ones!! My fairies and birds get along quite nicely!

This one is part of the 12 Days of Christmas collection and because he is the smaller version (9" ornament) he doesn't come with all the accessories of the larger ones . . . He is the Four Calling Birds fairy, and it appears that his calling birds have gone calling somewhere else?

This is one of the larger fairies and I can't remember which one this is, but he loves flying from the chandelier! I met Mark Roberts a few years ago and he actually posed this one for me and signed him along with some of my other ones.

And this is the Christmas Dreams fairy . . .

He looks a bit too small to be carrying my Christmas dream of a new lens and from his expression I think I'll have to wait 'til next year!

And this, this is my Sugar Plum Fairy, and he takes his job very seriously! I PROMISE I'm making cookies tomorrow, REALLY, and just in time for Santa! Of course at our house Santa does love his CHEESE . . .

Of course with all the Christmas shopping, there is one thing we need to remember:

The best Christmas present we can give and the one I think we all want in return- to love and accept one another as we are! It's free, doesn't need wrapping, it's something that multiplies when we give it away, but yet it seems to be one of the most difficult to do? Perhaps if we didn't attach so many strings we wouldn't get so tangled up in it!

So to be on the safe side, I'm not attaching any ribbons or bows on the presents this year!

From my house to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

Love to you all,

Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-18T01:52:00.000-06:00

I'm kinda in a little disbelief that Christmas is a week from today!

Ummmm, NOT ready.....and you?

I feel like I've been a day late and a dollar short these last few weeks,

so I'm looking forward to the Christmas break and some extra sleep.

Okay, onward to what I found by the seat of my pants once again!

1. What is it? Yes it is something to eat.....I'll keep you guessing for just a bit!

2. Children/furbabies sleeping: You just don't photograph teenagers sleeping if you know what's good for you, and my furbaby was not very cooperative. He didn't want to sleep when I had my camera, just too curious!

3. Joy: Lately my simple joy has been a salted carmel mocha and I drank it there today, at Starbuck's in one of their white mugs so that I could enjoy every lovely whipped creamy, caramely, salty goodness and with a spoon before it all melted and fell to the bottom.

4. Window: This week I went with a friend to an appointment, and then to lunch. In order to pay for parking we had to go inside the mall and lucky for me I took a shot of this store window while waiting 'cause I sure wasn't thinking about the prompts at the time.

5. Half: Okay, remember the first one - What is it? Well, here is half of it! A cranberry bliss bar, and I might add, it took some willpower to stop half way and photographic it.

Hopefully I will be a bit more creative and inspired with a little rest!

Don't forget to check out the other scavenger hunts over at Ashleys,

you won't be sorry!!

Love, Kim

A journey that started . . . one year ago today

2011-12-16T16:18:00.001-06:00

One year ago today, I came across this quote:

“Too many of us wait to do the perfect thing, with the result we do nothing. The way to get ahead is to start now. While many of us are waiting until conditions are ‘just right’ before we go ahead, others are stumbling along, fortunately ignorant of the dangers that beset them. By the time we are, in our superior wisdom, decided to make a start, we discover that those who have gone fearlessly on before, have, in their blundering way, traveled a considerable distance. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now, and that you will not know next year, if you wait.”

~The William Feather Magazine

After reading this, I immediately went to the blog URL address that I had set up 8 months previously and wrote my first blog post and hit publish. Yes, it was a new adventure and a little scary, but one that had been put on my heart. I had no expectations and wasn't sure where it would lead me but I was excited to know what I might not have known had I not started. I had no idea it would lead me here to all of you, the ones who come week after week to join me in my journey through life, and this journal I call Picking Poppies. I had no idea that I would make some of the connections that I have and I have been humbled by many of you who have let me know how much you enjoy what I share - it drives my inspiration - and for that I thank you.

It turns out that in this last year my camera has taught me things. Things I didn't know, things I knew but had forgotten, and most of all it helped me to think about things in a way I had never thought of before. My camera slowed me down so that I was able to hear the whispers of my heart and has been an instrumental tool in self discovery, understanding and thought about ordinary things in life that also created reflection about their meaning. No, I didn't solve any world problems, heck I didn't even solve any of my own but I did discover some things along the way and when I paused long enough I found lessons about life that are everywhere for us to learn. All we need to do is to open our eyes to all the things around us, the things that all too often we look at but do not see.

One of the things that I have always known is that there is magnificent beauty in nature, but not just in the seeing of it. My camera has brought even more attention to the delicacy of how it all works together. If you have been with me on this journey for any length of time it won't be a surprise that one of my favorite places to be is the beach. It's the place where my worries wash away with the tide and the secrets of my soul are revealed. It's also where a child paid me one of the greatest compliments when he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up! And even though I told him I didn't know, it was then that I realized that the moment I cease to be amazed at the wonders of this world and forget the child inside will be the day I grew up too much!

One day while out in Galveston, clicking away, I realized I had a repeating theme in those photos. Almost all of them were of some kind of fence and it got me to thinking about the boundaries they keep that at times can sometimes be comforting. But I also realized that some of those fences that I find along my journey I put up myself, ones that have neither an entrance or an exit, and how I am trying to find the courage to jump them despite it.

And then there were doors, which can be tricky things. Doors prompted me to think about opportunities in life, those I've passed up, those I have ignored, and those I feel are impossible. When it comes to doors I often don't read the enter and exit signs very well but because of God's grace he continues to grant me more opportunities to walk through open doors, which for some reason is difficult for me.

After being at the beach one day and looking back at those photos I again had an unintended theme. Nearly every photo from that day was of a bird in flight. There was yet another lesson but this time it was about wings. As I thought about wings and flying, God was reminding me that he has gifted each one of us with our own unique set of wings. Ones so unique that we are the only ones that can use them and that no one can do it for us. But the only way to know how to use them is to just jump off the ledge, knowing He will mend them should we fall.

This last year I have learned even more about the importance of being still in a busy life. That couldn't have been more evident as I looked back though each post. Starting about September when school started I had less thoughtful posts and I'm sure it was directly connected to the increase in my busyness. I don't thrive on being busy and the older I get the more stillness I enjoy. It allows me to better recognize my blessings so that I can truly receive them and that is not a gift I want to give up lightly.

Well, I guess I had to find somewhere to end this since I could just keep writing, as this is really only a handful of things that stood out to me as I went back through a years worth of posts. And until right this very moment I really wasn't sure why it was these particular things that I chose. But like everything else this year, I guess this too was a lesson for me. And to be really honest, I'm in tears right now because even though I don't always believe in myself, I see that God does and He never gives up on me. I just realized that with the posts I chose from this last year, Keeping Boundaries, Who's There, Taking flight and A Still Moment in a Busy Life, that He is trying to tell me something. I think He is asking me to be still enough to recognize which door(s) to ~~walk~~ fly through, using the wings he gave me to soar above the boundaries I put in my own way.

Continuing in a forward motion is important, even though I may be stumbling and I need to use the wings

He gave me to get there wherever that may be. And it's in my looking back that I see the distance I have traveled and by not standing where I have always stood, things are starting to look different.

From my heart to yours, thank you for picking poppies with me!

Love, Kim

P.S. What do you know now that you didn't know last year?

Is there something that helped you see differently?

Please share!

P.S.S. You're a rock star if you read this whole thing!! ; )

Picking Poppies . . . what's behind the name

2011-12-15T09:28:00.000-06:00

"Picking Poppies", it has absolutely nothing to do with flowers,

and everything to do with picking . . . weeds that is.

You see,

I knew someone who was very generous, and

not just because he gave often, but because he gave so much of what he had.

Who grew rhubarb in his garden,

which was that one thing he would always want to show you when you came to visit.

Yes, he was proud of that rhubarb.

And speaking of visits,

for as long as I can remember he had one every afternoon from a duck

and when he was tired, he would put his head in his pocket and fall asleep.

It was not unusual to find this someone in a white tank top, with his pants rolled up,
some leather driving slippers and his sailor hat.

Oh yes, I can't forget his white socks of course!
And you would, while you were visiting, most often find him in his yard
with a bucket and his dibble
and that is where we had some of our best conversations . . . picking weeds.
This someone loved me,
and I loved him back.
He was my grandfather . . . I called him Poppy.

I'm pretty sure he would be tickled to know that I named my blog after him, and even more so

at the technology of digital photography. I'm not sure how old he is in this photo, but isn't

he a handsome guy! I miss you to the moon and back!!

Love, Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-11T04:06:00.000-06:00

Dashing through the snow . . . trying to get to the scavenger hunt.

That has been a challenge this week, as I'm sure it has for everyone else.
Tis the season to be very, very busy!!

So here we go....

1. Less is more: I don't know what to say, but that they didn't get the memo? You had to see this one in person, looked just like a gingerbread house!

2. Holiday lights: I thought I saw Buddy, skipping through the Candy Cane forest! ; )

3. Ornaments: Yeah, this was a little tricky since I don't have my tree up yet . . . sigh . . . long story, and since I waited til the last minute (shock) I had to rummage through some Christmas boxes in between games of the basketball tournament. I'm really hoping Buddy the elf will come work his magic on my tree! Maybe if I put a sign in the window that says, "Worlds best coffee" . . . and then bribed him with his four food groups, candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup!!

4. Cup of Cheer: I love the movie "Elf" (just in case you hadn't figured that out) and this prompt reminds me of when Buddy reacted to a sign in the window of a diner on the way to find his dad, "You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job everybody, it's great to be here." Not only did this coffee taste great, but I could swear I saw visions of sugar plums dancing from my cup that morning . . .

. . . or at least two seals! The steam that came out of my cup that morning was truly magical!

5. Nativity: There were several nativity scenes that I've seen around town, and then my daughter told me about one at a church nearby, a "live" nativity. Well of course I had to go check it out. Not only was it a Nativity, but this church had set up a town, a bustling little town complete with roman guards and some on horseback, shepherds keeping warm by a fire tending to their sheep, a market with people milling around and even the tax office. You could see Mary riding on the donkey being led by Joseph, and then the three wise men and finally Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus all while listening to the story they gave us on CD. It was truly an amazing experience . . .unfortunately it was very dark and it was a drive through so there are no pictures of that. Instead, I have one of the kids nativity sets they had when they were younger. One that survived many other nativity reenactments!

Have a wonderful week ahead and remember,

"the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

Love, Kim

Foto Friday - The Holiday Season, Victorian style

2011-12-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

Here ye, here ye, grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and stroll along with me . . .
as we wander through the Holiday season with a little Victorian style.

One of the things I love about the island of Galveston is that it's so full of Victorian architecture,

and this weekend there was a hustle and bustle of people during it's 38th annual festival called

'Dickens on the Strand'. It's a festival celebrating the times of Charles Dickens,

where the Victorian era of the 19th century comes to life. And come to life it did!

For an entire weekend there were gorgeous Ladies, and handsome Lords meandering through

streets while store vendors in period clothing were rolling their carts and peddling their wares.

There were magicians, acrobats and jugglers, and carolers on street corners.

And the merriment of the Christmas holiday was everywhere as bagpipers and street musicians

strolled through the crowds playing music from the Victorian era. There were also costume and whisker contests, parades, and Victorian bed races. But of course no festival would be complete without funnel cake and turkey legs, and that would be Texas style!!

I took far too many pictures so I made a few collages to give you a better flavor of the day.
I'm already looking forward to this next year, only next time I just may be dressed up too!

There were chimney sweepers . . . and all I had to do was put my camera to my eye and if someone spied me, they were poking each other to strike a pose - Loved these guys!

There were high necklines, and low necklines!

Your eyes do not deceive you, yes that is snow, real snow only made by a machine . . . and snowball fights ensued until it disappeared! That girl in the green dress was soaking wet, and having a ball!

And hats of all shapes and sizes.

{Sharing this with Photo Art Friday}

Yep more fun with smudge and hexagon pixels to give it the feel of an impressionistic painting.

{Sharing with Shoot, Edit, Submit}

And this woman really stood out in the crowd, just so beautiful and she kindly stopped to let several of us photograph her. Of course I love her dress - it's PINK!

There was a little bit of everything, a foxtail and some steampunk, well quite a bit of steampunk . . .

Oh yes . . . and who doesn't love a Jack Sparrow, just not sure what he has to do with Dickens?

More snow, I mean soap bubbles. When you live in Texas they get really creative to set the mood.

I mean what's a Christmas parade without snow bubbles right? Haha, yes it's okay to laugh!!

Pickwick's lanternlight parade . . . and incredible bagpipers!

And when we were walking back to the car, here was this absolute darling playing Christmas tunes

and his little brother happily managing his lute! ; )

And the very last stop before we walked out of the gate, was this precious. A young camel . . .

and are they ever soft and sweet. My daughter and I rubbed his head and he literally melted!

. . . and so did I!

Not sure about you but I need another cup of coffee, hope you enjoyed our stroll!

Have a fabulous weekend friends!!

Love, Kim

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

"Remember Pearl Harbor"

2011-12-07T13:01:00.001-06:00

On this date in 1941 Japanese warplanes attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

and it's this attack that brought the U.S. into WWII.

In his now famous speech Franklin D Roosevelt delivered to the U.S. Congress the following day

he said, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by navel and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

Yes, that day lives in infamy in more ways than one.

This fall my family and I attended Wings Over Houston, and during this airshow, the attack on

Pearl Harbor is re-created by the Commemorative Air Force in a show they call "Tora, Tora, Tora".

It's a real live history lesson, unlike anything you will ever find in a

museum and for me always an emotional one even though I've seen it many times!

The announcer starts recreating the day and patriotic music starts to play and then . . .
as the planes start to fly in you can hear the hum, which quickly turns into a roar

and

as you stand there,
watching and listening to the initial bombing there is this fleeting moment of

helplessness and a sense of complete panic.

You have a primitive response of fight or flight until you realize it really is just a reenactment.
But it is unsettling still, as you're whisked back in time, getting a glimpse of that day,
bearing witness to a sudden and massive assault.

The chaos. There is utter chaos.

You are overpowered by the explosions that rock the ground you stand on and you can feel the

heat from the fire on your face. The sound of machine guns comes from every direction.

And. It. Never. Stops!

The smell of smoke not only fills the air but makes it almost impossible for them to see where they are going.

And it's in watching something like this that you realize just how grateful you are for our men and women in uniform, their commitment and courage of selfless acts

And

for your freedom!

Thank you for joining me to "Remember Pearl Harbor"

Love, Kim

Sharing today at The Creative Exchange

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-04T05:23:00.000-06:00

Oh snap, I did the same thing this week,

lather, rinse, repeat.

I shot first, and then I had to seek.

We went to a festival yesterday where I shot over 700 photos!

And since it's already the wee hours of the morning,

I only had time to go through a handful!

But I will be sharing more next week.

And let's just say I had a close encounter with something of a large kind

but that's okay, I really didn't mind!

I will however be needing new reading glasses . . . .

Onward, to review my find(s)!

1. Portrait: By the time we got to 'the festival' it was completely overcast and very gray. So I was having to

work really hard to get any good lighting. This bagpipe group is soon going to be on their way to Ireland

to compete in the world competition!

2. Nostalgic: I don't know any parent who isn't a bit nostalgic over the baby stage! And check out that pram!

Did you know that word is short for perambulator, thank goodness! ha

3. Time: This guy was wearing all kings of mechanical things so I went over and asked if he had any
"time pieces", aka a watch. He did and he was happy to strike a pose!

4. Full of light: Oh, I do have so many 'full of light' beach photos and sunrises etc., but I have a theme going

here from 'the festival', and these ~~glasses~~ intruments that he played beautiful Christmas tunes on, were

bathed in an orange glow from the (orange) streetlights.

4. Motion: Dancers, dancing to the pipers. Some were in motion and some were not. And sometimes you
can use low light to your benefit since low light equals slower speed or blurred motion.

And since I couldn't decide, I'm including another one of a horned owl coming in to perch.

What a magnificent bird!

Now, to tackle my pre-lit treet, the one that is no longer lighting!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Love, Kim

More scavenger hunt items here, with Ashley!

Foto Friday - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-02T11:07:00.001-06:00

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;

Soon the bells will start,

And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing

Right within your heart."

Don't ya just love that song from Johnny Mathis?

It's surely one to get you into the spirit of Christmas decorating.

I have to say I just didn't get out for that walk this week, although I

did snap a few pictures on my way home one day.

So I thought I would try to get a few around the house,

which for me is a little boring and challenging. I am truly

an outside natural light kinda girl.

Stalking the candlesticks just isn't the same as a lizard! ; )

But before I move on to the photos, I wanted to share something

exciting. Remember a few months back when I told you that I was asked

last spring to start a boys athletic booster club and that with our first

t-shirt fundraiser we raised $2,500, well, drum roll please . . . .

We have raised nearly $10,000 and I had the privilege of writing a

$6,000 check this week, as the booster club gifted the boys athletics

with a new weight room. Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!!

Okay on to some Yuletide photos . . .

{linked to Shoot Edit Submit and La-la's home daycare}

One thing you should know about me, I love coffee cups/mugs! I love having a different choice everyday

depending on my mood. So now that it's officially December, out come the festive ones . . . and what you

can't see on this one is the inside of the cup is lined with beautiful silver snowflakes. It was a little chilly the other morning and when I poured my coffee you could just see this beautiful steam coming from the cup.

I took this with my 40mm macro lens and what is interesting to me is that you can actually see the tiny

water droplets evaporating.

We have a leaded glass front door and this is a view from one of the only smooth pieces of glass

looking into the foyer.

This is the mirror above the chest of drawers in the above photo. And since I love birds, you see

them on many of my Christmas decorations.

More experimenting inside, again with the 40mm. Actually now that I think about it all of the photos

I have today were taken with it.

Oh, and look who I found, Matt, trying to hide behind the mask! Yes, he is back and will be staying with us until Christmas Eve, when he returns to the North Pole to be with Santa for their rockin' Elfcapades party!

{linked to Photo Art Friday}

My roses are blooming like crazy and it's hard not to want to get yet one, more, picture!

This week Bonnie asked us to try something new, but this photo art is all new to me!

But this week I did try "smudge" which gave me on both photos, (above and below)

some cool effects. I erased some off the rose so it is more subtle and the negative space on

the rose photo isn't noise, it's a very slight mosaic effect or was it dots?

This last photo is actually art on art, as in a watercolor photographed and then doing a little

more 'art' to it. Before we moved where we are now, I had gotten a bee in my bonnet one day

and decided to take a watercolor class. What was I thinking? It's probably a good thing I just dove in, because having never painted I had no idea what I was getting myself into and had I really thought about it I would have talked myself out of it. I had the best instructor and this is after a few small practice things like a leaf and a shamrock, my first (and last) piece I painted. Something I've learned is to never

underestimate yourself, and try new things even if you've never done them. How do you know

you can or can't if you don't try? I haven't painted since we've moved, but with out instruction I guess I thought too much about it and now I'm afraid I won't be able to do it by myself.

I used that same smudge effect on this too and I just love how it framed the entire piece! I didn't purposely

put that around the edges, it just did it by itself! ha I think I started in sepia exposing the color, used orton-ish or lomo-ish which popped the color and then the smudge, faded.

Have a fabulous weekend, and happy decorating! Fa la la la la

Love Kim

A Tisket, A Tasket . . .

2011-12-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

A Tisket, A Tasket, an egg in a Basket . . . beats a Johnny in the hole!

Yep, I'm talking about food!

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday I'll bet most people were watching football.
And I say most because I know it wasn't all, not at my house. You see,

the dreaded cable box went out again for the fourth time, and it was rather quiet
at my house all last week! It was unusually quiet, but that wasn't all bad.

It means that my husband was surfing the web, the food blog web. And boy am I glad he did!

He came across a french recipe called "nid d'ouef", or egg in a nest, and it came from a children's
French cookbook no less. And unlike the Johnny in a hole that uses bread to keep the egg in place,
this uses egg whites as a little basket or nest that you whip up adding a little cheese to help give it
more structure. We didn't hesitate, and tried it right away. The recipe called for Gruyere cheese,
but all we had was swiss and that worked great.

Let me tell you, this was such a treat. It was melt in your mouth goodness and so easy to make.
I should know, I watched my husband do it and then fully participated in the ~~tasting~~ eating of it! ; )

I going to send you here to get the full recipe and all the details. Don't wait, go now!
Then make it for someone and they'll think your a French Chef. Okay maybe not, but
they will be impressed and want to know how you made it! It can be our little secret, I won't tell.

I would really love to hear back from you if you make this.

Come back and let me know what you think!

Bon Appetit!

Love, Kim

Nineteen years ago . . .

2011-11-28T17:01:00.001-06:00

Nineteen years ago today,
on a Thanksgiving weekend,
I walked down a curved wooden staircase
to the beautiful music of a woodwind quintet.
I made my way past family and close friends
to meet up with my best friend,
waiting for me,
standing in front of a fireplace
with a crackling fire, and a minister.
There were vows and promises
and they were sealed with a kiss.
It was our marriage,
nineteen years ago today.

"A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet
and two solos at the same time."

- Ann Taylor Fleming

Two years ago, we went home to Chicago to celebrate my in-law's 50th Wedding Anniversary at a quaint Bed and Breakfast. It just so happened that it was the very same place we were married and that day, a Saturday, was also our anniversary and these are the exact stairs I walked down.

When we were dating we used to read to each other from Kahlil Gibran's book, The Prophet.
It was from that book of poetic essays that he read this at our ceremony:

"Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not in each other's keeping.
For the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."

This is the room where we promised to take each other's hands and walk through life together, loving each other along the way. And with a house so full of charm and antiques it made for quite a romantic day.

This would be one of the most important rooms, and that's where all the food is served! It looked a bit different on our wedding day as she does a custom tablescape to your liking.

And this is, Oscar Swan Inn, Bed and Breakfast, Guest House, Country Inn. The place where we started our journey together, and it was just as wonderful two years ago as it was on our wedding day!

{Photo credit, Forever Photos, now retired}

A place that if I had to choose all over again, and to the love of my life, I would, and I do. I love you!

Kim,

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-27T01:05:00.000-06:00

Here it is Sunday already, but this week did go by faster than usual
with all the ~~eating~~ baking for Thanksgiving!
The blessings and bounty of leftovers is a curse for my waist so I suppose when I set out for a
walk this week I'm really going to need to walk, which means I may have to leave my camera
behind - wait nevermind that won't work!

1. Waiting: For the second year in a row my husband and I got up early on Thanksgiving morning to go watch the sunrise, but as you can see it was extremely overcast and cloudy and so we waited....and waited... and waited ...until finally we got a glimpse of the sun, however it was fleeting.

2. Foliage: On my walk this week I finally found some incredible red leaves that are just now turning and falling from the pear trees and it was pretty darned exciting! I know, for some of you this is old news, but for

those of us in the south this is good stuff! (so you get two of them!)

3. Candid: WARNING, this photo may make you smile! Just look at those beautiful, happy women . . . I did take this from my archives from a sunrise on the seawall last summer. We were getting ready to walk back to the car when I spied these women all dressed in white and with my camera to my eye I waved and they waved back. I remember the woman on the left pointed and said, look wer're gonna be on CNN (LOL)! And although I'm not a shy person by any means, I'm not sure why I didn't ask them their story - everyone has one and theirs seemed interesting. Were they related, friends, visiting, on vacation? The fact that it was Sunday and they were all dressed in white I have a feeling they may have been there in worship, but now I will never know. But one thing I do know, is that for just that one moment in time, there was a connection between strangers.

4. Knife, spoon, or fork: Okay, I think I see one of each! This is the first Thanksgiving we have spent in this house even though we have lived here 3 1/2 years. The first year we moved here we spent it in our apartment and we were talking about how we have no clue how we made dinner that year in a kitchen where a 4'x6' rug barely fit!

5. Rules of thirds: Another part of my walk, okay I didn't really walk because there were just too many fun things to photograph. I went back to check on the Monarch's and was so excited to see these Monarch capterpillars! From the size of them I would say that they are just about full grown and will start their journey to transformation very soon. And for me, there is something of a miracle that in 21 days this caterpillar will turn into a butterfly. This isn't a perfect thirds, but it works.

"Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing process

of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives."

- Mary Ann Brussat

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Love, Kim

Join me in more scavenger hunts . . .

Foto Friday - More Bees

2011-11-26T13:21:00.001-06:00

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'm a little late with foto Friday, I'm afraid I have been in a food coma and I highly

suspect that it's our long standing family tradition of homemade egg noodles that did it.

I am thankful for traditions that I get to pass on to my kids and not only are the noodles a
tradition, but a family affair. When we were first married I made the noodles by myself until I was
pregnant and couldn't get close enough to the counter to roll them out! So as tradition has it,
my husband rolls out the dough, I roll the dough up into logs and cut them and the kids then unroll
them and lay them to dry.

In between baking and cooking I did manage to get out and get some photos this week. I

stopped off at a little public garden down our main street where I found hibiscus and roses blooming

their little hearts out, but I have to say there was something else that caught my attention.

Honey bees . . . and as I watched them I thought about how thankful I am for these

amazing flying insects because of their dutiful life that allows me to eat some incredible

fruits and vegetables and for my camera that allowed me to record it.

I have a feeling, I'll be back again next week . . .

The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist.
For man it is to know that and wonder at it.
- Jaques Yves Cousteau

{linked with shoot, edit, submit}

And check it out . . . the pear trees are finally starting to change and drop their leaves!

Then, I went back to check on the Monarch's and crossed my fingers . . . and look what I found!

Monarch caterpillars, and quite a few of them!

Now if only when I go back I can find out where they decided to wait out their transformation!

I have never seen a monarch chrysalis in person.

{linked with Fabulous Friday}

This is butterfly weed, their host plant and boy could he eat!!

{Linked with Photo Art Friday and La-La's Home daycare}

Wishing you continued blessings through the year!

Love, Kim

Quotography - Giving Thanks

2011-11-21T10:04:00.000-06:00

As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.

~Terri Guillemets

Just waking up every morning is reason enough to give thanks,

to rejoice for another day spent with family and friends and for the splendor of this world.

And I am grateful to live in a place where I can witness the glory of the rising sun!

Happy Monday everyone!

Love, Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-20T02:22:00.000-06:00

Well, it's Sunday

which means yesterday was Saturday

and we had our second playoff game in the afternoon.

Such a fabulous season

and after losing the first three pre-district games

we went on to win eight games in a row

including beating last year's State Champs!

But our journey is over . . .

With possession and two minutes to go

down by three points

we. just. ran. out. of. time!

So today I share with you my interpretations of the prompts from the game.....

1. Mainly one color: Since we were the home team, we wore our mainly black uniforms. This is a tradition

they started this year right before the start of the second half - this is called trusting your team.

2. Writing: Not all was lost, she asked him to the Winter Ball and he said yes! ; )

3. Around the home: Even though we didn't play in our stadium, we were the home team. And when

you looked around you saw an incredible bond between players, each of them arm in arm.

4. Water: The kind that contains salt . . . and there was lots of it! This is the head coach and I'm

pretty sure every player came to get a hug from him!!

5. Reflection: Our reflection afterwards of the game left us feeling well, a bit dazed. It looked

a little like this . . .

I can't even tell you what a pleasure it has been to watch this team for eleven weeks and I can

only say that my family and I won't know what to do with ourselves now that it's over!!

But I'm sure my daughter will be letting me know the countdown until next season . . . like tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Love, Kim

Foto Friday - Some bees, some butterflies and a few trees

2011-11-18T15:28:00.000-06:00

This week I am thankful

for the bees,

the butterflies,

and the trees.

I took another walk,

but this time it was back to my favorite trail

and I started off at the butterfly garden.

Okay, let's say I lost myself in it!

But then I made my way

over the bayou

and through the woods

to the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

I was so immersed in my walk

that I almost forgot about my son's

basketball game -

how does one forget that?

And had I not filled the card on my camera

I might have missed it altogether.

So, to say the least

the last part of that 5 mile walk

that started out at 74

became a challenge

in what ended up a 90 degree day!

"Praise the bridge that carries you over"

- George Coleman

I love this walking bridge, it has carried me over many things in my thoughts!

{linked to Photo Art Friday}

After doing some of my favorite go-to's in Picnik I decided to try a few different things. First I used a little

orton-ish, then cross process. Then I tried ripple blocks fade 20%, HSL filter until I got the color slide

I liked. Then I added Hex cells at 55% size 8.68 and softened at 50% brushing off the bridge. The last thing - circle splash on screen mode faded 48% at a radius of 246.49. This is really different for me!

This is the before picture - no edits.

Before I even left the house though, I walked to the end of my sidewalk to enjoy the incredible smell

of this trailing purple lantana and was instantly graced by this skipper butterfly.

Maybe someday technology will be so incredible that I can share this fabulous scent with a scratch and sniff!

This one done in sepia brushing off to expose some color.

{linked to Fabulous Friday and Shoot, Edit and Submit}

From the butterfly garden, an orange sulfur butterfly which had an incredible brown markings on the inside

of it's wings. Of course it didn't stay long enough to capture that!

And the bees, lots and lots of bees - it almost felt like a spring day, not fall!

But I guess they are busy gathering and storing for the winter.

All summer I hadn't seen any Monarch butterflies, until the last couple of weeks. This garden was FULL of them, dozens and they were playing tag-your-it with each other and made it really difficult to capture

a photo. I couldn't get within 5 feet of one before they would fly off, so my experience last week when I got one to go on my hand is just that much more special!

The light that day was just perfect . . .

I even came across a little Christmas in the forest!

I kept thinking that any minute when I turned another corner I would find someone building a new

bench or something - it sounded like someone was pounding wood - more like pecking.

Is that not just a gorgeous woodpecker? A red headed Pileated Woodpecker!

Just a beautiful day all around!

Have a really fabulous weekend!
Love, Kim
XO

Magic snowflakes . . .from the North Pole!

2011-11-17T18:26:00.000-06:00

Yep, that's right, snowflakes straight from the North Pole!

Huh? What?

Yes, they are magical and exciting and if you allow them they may just awaken the child in your soul.

It's a little early and quite unexpected but I've had a surprise visit from an old friend so dear,

it took just a second then I knew why he was here.

You see, it had been a while since he heard my son call him by name,

and he missed playing and hiding and well, just being near.

My visit was from "Matt", a magical Elf!!

(He found my stash of peppermint kisses!)

He even finished the Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream !

So, my boy who is now 14 asked me the other day where I got Matt.

I told him he came from the North Pole, of course. "No mom, really, where did you get him?"

I told him perhaps you forgot about the wish you made to have your own Elf, that comes to life

with North Pole snowflakes and gets into mischief in the middle of the night.

Who had to ask Santa for special permission each year, after working so hard and checking the list twice,

to visit a special friend who had been so very nice!

Santa always hated to see Matt go and in our letter he said, "But you'll share kindness and goodness, and have lots of fun, And you'll let your friend know that God brought love through His Son. So go visit for

Christmas and teach what I've taught that the best gifts are those that can never be bought.

Christmas is brighter and dreams will come true if you share love and kindness in all that you do."

After moving twice I'm surprised that he found us again!

But he said, "I've watched you from afar and in my heart you've grown dear,

I made my way here with you as my guide,

I'll be dear to your heart and close by your side."

This was the last time we saw Matt . . .

I told Matt that he was just a little early, that he should lay low until the day after Thanksgiving.

And it would be our little secret, (and now yours).

But he wanted me to share in case you want to join in the fun

with your own Elf-Magic when all's said and done!

We're never too old for a little Christmas adventure,

Love, Kim

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-13T12:32:00.000-06:00

Yep, had every intention of being more organized this week,
but to be honest I fell a bit short. The husband was gone all week including
last weekend and sometimes I'm just not so good at the single parent thing!

So without delay, we'll just move on. This is what I had to hunt for this week:

1. Before and After:

This is SOOC and although I like it just the way it is, I decided to see what I could do with it to
make it look a little different.

After: So I gave it a little more of an aged look.

2. Opposing lines: Lines that run in opposition of each other . . . . oh you mean like this?

Well they are opposing lines, offensive and defensive, but not quite what she meant! ; )

It is very subtle, but the the opposing lines are there with the horse's legs

and the wires of the fence.

3. Custom Bokeh: Now this is something that I shouldn't have waited til yesterday morning to do,

knowing we would be gone all afternoon for a football playoff game (oh yeah, we won by the way), and

then to my daughters Region choir performance. We got home late, I was tired, so you get what I got

yesterday morning, the experiment that it was. I learned that cutting a shape out of heavy cardstock

(that was all I had) was probably not as easy as construction paper even with an exacto knife. In fact,

if I had the right size paper punch that would have made it much easier. I also took note that the size of

the cut out is important - mine was too small. But having said that, I'm not completely unhappy with

what I got and I actually got a little fish eye effect!

After my post Friday on perspective with gratitude and my reference to the keyhole, I decided that

would be the shape that I would use. Not only do I have keyhole shaped bokeh, but because my shape

was too small you can even see the keyhole shape in the image.

And some cool mosaic effect on the leaves!

I couldn't decide, so you get both - and both were only slightly cropped and sharpened.

I can't wait to try this again!! I'm already one who loves bokeh, now I will be a bokeh shape shifter!

4. Which pair of shoes should I wear: That can be a dilemma here in Texas as one day it can be 94,

in which I'm barefoot and the next it can be 50 and I might only be in flip flops . . . or a pair of these.

5. Little features: I think my niece has the cutest little features!

Well, that's all folks - hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Love, Kim

Join me in the rest of the scavenger hunt with Ashley . . .

Foto Friday - Perspective with gratitude

2011-11-11T10:50:00.002-06:00

I have in the past talked about how perspective has an effect on my photography, here,

but really how we decide to live our lives depends on how we see things as well.

Life isn't always easy, in fact a lot of times it's just plain hard and sometimes it feels impossible.

But when I look back it has always been my struggles that have made life that much more worth while, because it puts everything else into their proper positions. My struggles, when I allow them, help
me to see the bigger picture, opens me up to the reality that I am not alone, and gives me the ability

to have compassion for others because of them. Have you ever looked in a mirror at home and seen the reflection of a room or something you see all the time and suddenly when you see it in reverse things look completely different, maybe even a little new, and exciting?

That's how I want to learn to see everything!

I have found that my ability to see, and how I regard my situation and it's relative importance to the rest of
my life and how I live it depends on where I stand.

And,

I am learning that gratitude is the key and that as my gratitude grows so does my joy.

If I stand where I have always stood, nothing will ever look different.

Do you ever find yourself looking through the keyhole,

instead of opening the front door?

I realize when I do this that I miss out. I miss out on knowing

there is something bigger than me and my struggles, and that our struggles are only part of the bigger picture.

And that when I concentrate on the keyhole, some things just look bigger than they should.

Last weekend the kids and I went to the park and shared a bounty of peanuts with the squirrels,

and I can say that I am grateful I don't have to bury my food and try to remember where I put it later!

As we drove home, I spied this grass in a ditch and it was sparkling in the sun and I just had to go back to get a picture. I found myself just sitting there enjoying its simple beauty as it gently swayed in the breeze.

And back of course to one of my favorite places where I discover something different every time I'm there.

They have a huge assortment of water features which I am always drawn to. The way the light falls, and

the tranquility of the trickling sounds......

{linking this with Fabulous Friday and Shoot, Edit, Submit}

and Life as this Mommy Knows it

This is a macro from the Bottlebrush Tree . . . (SOOC)

. . . and a larger view and my edit.

{Linking with Photo Art Friday}

Standing in the same position only changing my focus I got a completely different perspective.

On my way home from the nursery, and just up the road is the butterfly garden. With the time change

I almost didn't stop as the sun had almost set and I had almost lost any good light. But as soon as I got

there I spied this Monarch! I have had an almost impossible time of photographing one of these since they

don't seem as tolerant as some others. I went into my usual stalk mode and as I got closer and closer, he didn't fly away! I reached out and he came to me . . . . There is something about this photo that I love and I would like to say that it was totally on purpose but truth is it wasn't. I had not anticipated this guy coming on to my hand and I was in full manual and had not put my camera strap around my neck yet. That makes it a little tricky to change settings with one hand and not drop your camera. But, it did make for a good example

of how when we focus on only a small part of something, we can miss the beauty of the whole thing.

I think I'm going to rename this the Enchanted Butterfly Garden, since every time I am there

something magical happens.

I am grateful for the journey that this butterfly will take so that I can enjoy them again in the spring. Did you know that these butterflies journey 2,000 miles to the fir forests in Central Mexico? That is an incredible journey for a butterfly!!

I have to be grateful for my struggles as hard as they may seem sometimes because they help me

keep a handle on life's perspective. Just as the thorns on a rose remind me that in life there can be

something beautiful that comes from the pain of our trials.

And I am learning to use my key of gratitude more often to keep the front door unlocked.

Wishing you all a view from the front door this weekend!!

Love, Kim

P.S. Thank you for picking poppies with me!

The Rose . . .

2011-11-10T16:27:00.000-06:00

Its beauty is bold but whispers softly.

It pierces the deepest part of my soul,

and on any day the scent of it has the ability to make time pause.

We often criticize that the rose bush has thorns,

but perhaps we are not seeing that the thorn bush has roses.

And in life if there were no pain, would we recognize the beauty?

Until tomorrow . . .
Love, Kim
XO

Quotography - Your favorite photo of the month

2011-11-07T13:24:00.002-06:00

One favorite photo? Only one?

Who am I kidding, there is no way to pick one favorite out of the merely hundreds
and hundreds of photos I take on a monthly basis.

But I'll try . . . okay that was too hard so I decided you use a random number
generator. Yes, I'm kidding!! ; )

I chose this one because it was one that I thought of almost immediately, and because
it's full of emotion and just makes me feel good. If you missed the post my daughter
and I did on her high school football team you can go here if you would like to read it.

This is one of the photos from that post. These players chose to wear pink in honor of
breast cancer awareness and are kneeling in the end zone as they do before the start
of every game.

This is the image I see before the start of every game and every time it tugs at my heart.

Just in case you passed on the link above, at the start of our pre-district season these
boys were knocked to their knees not once, not twice, but three times! Every time
they came back and they finished the rest of the season with seven straight wins to become
District Champions.

"The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back.
That's the real glory. That's the essence of it." - Vince Lombardi

(Camera: Nikon D7000, 1/400s, f4.5, ISO 3200)

This just happens to be a football picture with a quote from a football coach,
but it's really about life.

Wish us luck as they go into their first playoff game this weekend!!

Love Kim,
XO

Also linked with The Creative Exchange

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-06T00:55:00.000-05:00

Another busy week . . . I waited til the end of this week to find my prompts
and losing an hour of daylight at the end of the day as the clocks "fall" backwards
I'm going to have to be a little more organized about this. Okay, who am I kidding,
I'll fly by the seat of my pants as usual I'm sure! ; )

Here we go . . . .

1. Food: Food is just not one of those things I can photograph well so this is always a challenge for me and
especially when I left it until the very last minute. So this is what we had for dinner . . . individual pizza's
with homemade cornmeal dough made by my daughter. It was tasty though!!

2. Purple: I may not have any purple in the name of fall leaves but I still have Angelonia's going strong in my

garden. And laughing ones at that . . . ha ha ha!! : )

3. In disguise: I wasn't sure what I would do for this prompt, until I found this mask which is really a

Christmas tree ornament? And lucky for me my daughter let me give her some smoky eyes and modeled

for me. It was getting late and I was losing window light so she had to sit in the entry way with the door

open and of course the neighbor's walk by wondering what we're doing!!

4. Shapes: Well everything around us is a shape, so I had trouble with this because I couldn't decide.

That is until I found this tree and it looks as though he had a tussle with Mr. Potato head and won!

5. Photographers choice: Oh this was an easy one. Last week my husband and I went to a Greek Festival

and this man was singing and playing the most incredible music (It was Greek to me). Sorry, couldn't

help myself! ; ) But, seriously it was so incredible and how do you not go up to someone like that and

tell them. I was having some trouble getting good pictures as they were under a tent and the light was, well

just not great, so I changed to my 50mm 1.8 and went back up to try again. Ummm, yeah while I was

kneeled down on the ground he came right over to me and it was pretty intense. In my flusterdness (is

    that a word?) I kinda froze and couldn't change my focus point etc., but I do love how this one turned
    out!!

Well, that's all folks!! Hope your weekend is great!

Love, Kim

P.S. Don't forget to join the scavenger hunt