The challenges of intentions . . .

 . . .  or wait should I say the intentions of challenges?

Oh, either way intentions are those things that in order to fully participate

it requires me to take action. 

Just having a good intention isn't going to get me very far.

So with today's word being "Intentions" at Beyond Layers,

I'm taking on the "Edit Me" challenge.

Because with all my best intentions, I've edited the last three and never linked them up.

The challenge is this: someone provides one of their photos for the challenge and then you

simply put your editing twist to it.

So here goes, I'm going to share my thought process along with my edits:

I started with this photo:

I removed the phone wires, adjusted the contrast and sharpened a bit.

I did all of this editing in picmonkey, because with the best of intentions I have yet to learn my PSE9.

I decided not to crop, I liked the empty space. But the sky needed something so I used different tints and selectively "painted" in some sunset colors, added a texture from Pixel Dust art at hardlight, and then a texture from Kim Klassen in overlay. I then used intrepid at 18%.....

But, I envisioned the barn sitting in a field, so I took this photo...and removed the cow. Don't worry I was gentle, haha!

Layered it back over the photo with the barn in mulitiply and removed the pasture photo off the barn.

Then I boosted the color only on the trees, softened the field of flowers and then added another texture from Pixel Dust in hardlight 21% which gave it the painterly effect I was after.

{linking this one with Edit me}

Happy Thursday!

Love, Kim

XO

Choose it . . .

Today in my Beyond Layers class, Kim asks, "Where do you find peace?"

Oh, a question that I don't have to hesitate on, or do I?

My immediate response is, of course . . . at the beach!

  I could live there, on the beach falling asleep to the crashing waves and the sea breeze.

It's a place where I feel quiet, and still, and thoughtful.

And it's a place where my worries seem to melt away.

But what makes the beach, and the experience of the ocean so different.

Is is really where I find peace, or is it just simply where I allow myself to feel peaceful.

And is peace something you can even find?

Because if it is something you can find then it should also be something you can seek.

Which brings me to the thought that peace is a choice we make, and why sometimes we are at war

with each other and ourselves.

{ my view along the path to the beach }

[ Kim Klassen's texture "warm sun" ]

"If you go, go in Peace it makes the flowers sweeter along the path."

-  Mike Dolan

** Almost forgot . . . I was invited to guest post over at Focusing On Life today where I am **

sharing some thoughts on "What is Beauty" and would love for you to click here to check it out!!

Love, Kim

XO

 

Savenger Hunt Sunday . . .

. . . the Beach version, of course!

I just love when it works out this way and you get all the prompts

by mid-week, especially when it happens by accident you planned it that way (wink, wink)

[ beneath your feet ]

I love the beach, and I love these coquina clams...watching them migrate the beach and feeling

them beneath my feet as they bury themselves.

[ capturing movement ]

It really is a good thing for digital cameras or I would be broke taking photos of birds in flight. Somehow I

managed to get this Sanderling in focus while trying to pan and get some blur in the rest of the photo. I see some practice in my future.

[ texture ]

Empty goose barnacles on a large tree limb picked clean by the birds. Lately there have been some very

large trees washing up on shore?

[ face your fears ]

Well, I kinda feel like I'm cheating on this one . . . can't say I had much fear and maybe because

my curiosity got the best of me first. When I first spotted these coming out of the water from my chair

I had no idea what it was so I went to investigate . . . it was in less than a foot of water. . .

 . . . and what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a stingray! He was about two foot wide and he wasn't

alone, there were quite a few of them that had come to the shoreline to feed. It was my first stingray sighting

in the 4 years that we have lived here and I might have been a wee bit excited! ; )

(Some of you might be excited that I didn't share again, my spider pic from Friday, you are welcome! ha)

[ currently ]

Currently, this is my view as I enter down the road to access the beach . . . ahhh.

[ Your Sunday Best ]

Have a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend and be sure to check out all the other participants!

Love, Kim

XO

  

It is after all . . .

. . .  a small, small world.

A world full of treasures, a world full of awe.

Did you ever notice that the bigger the circles we run in life,  that the harder it is to see

the details, the smaller world around us. And I don't just mean in nature, but the people around us too.

The bigger the circle, the faster we seem to be able to run, and the less we really see.

Making the circle smaller means we will go a little slower and well it sure is easier on my knees, and my eyes!

"Life is a great big canvas,

you should throw all the paint on it you can."

- Danny Kaye

And well, when we slow down . . . we have a better chance of getting some paint on it at all.

I was out this past week gathering some ideas for the garden,

. . . and came across other gatherers.

. . . beautiful roses,

[ photograph life-two subjects ] 

 . . . and even more gatherers. 

. . . and an itsy bitsy teeny weeny sweat bee.

And yes, I had to share this one! You know spiders have 4 pairs of eyes but have you ever seen them.

Gosh, I could as I'm getting older use an extra pair. We were weeding last weekend when it seems I disturbed this momma to be - uh huh, she is holding her egg sac filled with hundreds of baby spiderlings

who will for the first few weeks of their life hitch a ride on mom's back. That's why you never step on a spider in your house if you're in Texas, or you could have babies scattered everywhere. 

And last but not least one of my favorites of the week . . .  

[shoot.edit.submit, P52-favorites, Flower Art Friday, Photo Art Friday ]

Have a wonderful, long, and safe Memorial Day weekend!!

Love, Kim

XO

 Linking up with Kent Weakley for Project 52

And...

  

  

Texture Tuesday - light

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest

aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look

up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try

to follow where they lead."

- Louisa May Alcott

Kim Klassen texture 'Happy Heart'

Sorry, I've been a little quiet this past week, I'm having a problem with the sleep thief as he has robbed me of pertinent grey matter necessary for daily living. Hopefully I will be back to myself soon!

Love, Kim

XO

  

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Oh this was a long week, always is when the husband is gone on business.

But somehow the mice get off scott free when the cats away, and I just get more work! ; )

And, it seems my lack of sleep gave me some brain fog which creeped into my motivation.

Okay, that's just my excuse this week - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[ rainbow ]

Yep, had a few ideas for this, but waited til the last minute. So, you get the rainbow of flowers

waiting to be planted in the garden....angelonia, zinnia, verbena, and penta.

[ fluffy ]

A light and airy dandelion . . . fluffy.

[ letters ]

Not a great photo here, but if you have ever been to Texas and wondered why on earth we have such big drains on the side of the streets, this would be why. Hiding in there somewhere, besides backyards and swing sets is the all of 5-10' wide creek that has overflowed its banks making it difficult to read the sign (with letters, of course). When they give flash flood warnings they aren't kidding, and this was not days worth of rain, but hours!! 

[ metal ]

An old truck, that I'm sure has more metal than the ones made today.

[ trees ]

Somehow trees just look great with some fog, well that and a little help with some texture.

That wraps up this scavenger hunt. Be sure to head on over to Ashley's to follow the rest

of the hunt - there is always good stuff to be found.

Love, Kim

XO



Quotography - Motherly Love

I am a mother,
whose children are becoming young adults.
I have held their hands, wiped their tears
experienced joy, worry, and fears.
As babies I watched them take their first steps
which were only the beginning of firsts in their lifetime.
It has taught me patience, and compromise
and about saying sorry, because
I have and will continue to make mistakes.
And no one said it would be easy,
it is by far the hardest job on earth.
I have learned through fresh eyes
things about myself and of life,
and that love does not divide, but instead multiplies.
Through it I've discovered that I am strong
and they have shown me what it means to be courageous.
I love them unconditionally,
and will forever wear my heart on my sleeve.
I am a mother.

The truth is,

none of us are going to do it right, none of us will do it perfectly.

But we will do the best we can and when we know better hopefully we will do better,

and support each other in the process.

Love, Kim

XO

 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

The weeks feel shorter and shorter, probably because it's nearing the end of school,

and there are always so many things crammed into the last minute.

Can it be that next year I'll have two high schools students . . . where does the time go?

To those who have little ones, I know you hear this a lot, but we older moms

tell you this for a reason....soak it in, it all goes by way too fast.

And before we move on, a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!

[ sidewalk ]

Well, when I think sidewalk I think chalk. So I asked my (teenage) daughter to draw me something!

[ inspiring ]

I was playing around with picmonkey this weekend . . . inspired by flowers.

[ time ]

. . . at sunset

[ close-up ]

A slice of the cake that my daughter made me for Mother's Day, and yes it was yummy!
Chocolate cake with homemade buttercream frosting and chocolate buttercream filling.

 

[ with mirror ]

What a difference a couple of weeks make! Now all you see is seaweed!

Well, there you have it until the next scavenger hunt!

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Love, Kim

XO



Foto Friday . . .

I interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you . . . yes more seaweed.

And it looks like this seaweed isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

(She says with a sheepish grin)

The news said it's the worst in great abundance and that Galveston hasn't seen this much

seaweed in a decade and partly because we have been having really strong south winds.

When I was there last week I thought there was a lot, but I went back (because I had too much

fun just days before) even I was shocked by the amounts I saw and it went on and on for as far

as my eyes could see.

But before we headed to the beach we took in the sunrise. . .

and a little starburst to go with it.

And then we headed to Galveston to the beach . . . and there wasn't a soul there but us and the birds!

Oh, and the seaweed - lots and lots of seaweed!

The birds were in smorgasbord heaven and so was I, practicing shooting (with my camera only of course) birds in flight. These little fellows are fast.

This time there was so much of it and it went so much further out into the water that I just couldn't get to it to find more critters . . .

 . . . and well, after seeing this seagull grab this out of the seaweed I wasn't sure I wanted to anyway! (And to think I was knee deep in this last week) I'm not going to rush to any rash judgements here, but just sayin' I'm not sure pipefish grow that long?

And as I ventured along I came across this female blue crab, noted by her lipstick stained claws - she was a little out of sorts, blowing bubbles which is never a good sign. But she soon got a second wind and was headed off to find the water.

This is some of the seaweed that has been on shore and has started to dry up. Those little berry looking things are actually filled with a gas and are what keeps the sargassum afloat. It comes from the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic and when it breaks free and catches the gulf stream it ends up in the Gulf of Mexico benefiting the beaches by replenishing and preventing erosion.

We decided to head down the street a bit further west to a spot where they were pushing the seaweed back off the shore.

Where I found even more birds . . .

[ Photograph life - one color collage ]

. . . and they were working the beach!

And these Sanderlings, which are not babies, usually will not let you get close but they were so all consumed

by lunch to even care.

[ Shoot, edit, submit ]

And then how perfect, the theme over at Photo Art Friday this week if you chose it was to make a piece of photo art with a horizon. This is the view walking back down the ramp from the beach. And this is kind of monumentous( monumental and momentous, it's a kimism) for me in that I still haven't quite learned my elements yet and found that picmonkey allows you to upload your own texture. Imagine my excitement, and especially because I was able to use not one, but two of Bonnie's textures [from Pixel Dust Photo Art] that I won. Whoo Hoo!

I used two images that I superimposed, one of the scene and the other of the pelicans. I used Northern Lights overlay in subtract at 44%, and then Splendor in the Grass in hardlight at 25%, ta da!!

I love how the textures really enhanced the clouds, thanks again Bonnie!

[ Photo Art Friday ]

And strangely last but not least and only because it doesn't fit the beach theme, is my interpretation of still life for project 52. And check it out, no spray bottle this time, lol!

And oh sigh, boy do I love Ranunculus......

[ P52 project  -  Flower Art Friday ]

Kim Klassen's texture Warm sun, hardlight 81% 

The winds are suppose to die down giving a small reprieve of seaweed this weekend, but we are expecting storms, shucks! I'm on a quest to find a pipefish and flatworm...wish me luck!! ; )

Have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Mother's Day to you, early!

Love, Kim

XO