run, don't walk......

you have to go and see this

~~~

kristy asked us what we'd like to see her shoot

and

she wanted it to be deep and different and thoughtful and meaningful

~~~

I can't hyperlink her here for some reason

so PLEASE go to my side bar

under camera lovers

and

look for WRECKLESS

~~~

then read what she wrote

fall in love with her photography

and

notice the little things that I missed the first time

{like the name inscribed on the bench}

~~~

now excuse me while I go and straighten out my overly large head

{you'll undestand after you visit on kristy's blog}

to be or not to be.....

I was editing today or is it called processing

or is just called playing around with your photos until you're blue in the face and then your hubby takes your computer away from you and says

"hey, remember me ?"

~~~~~

whatever

I've told you before I'm addicted to playing with my photos and until they tell me

it could cause me to grow an extra toe

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing

~~~~~

but

what I'd really like to do is take photos like denise

because

cripes her photography is amazing

~~

everything she does is soft and gentle and etheral and mystical

but

I can't be like her

she's already taken

{get it?....banner saying}

let's move on

~~~~~

so I played with the flowers above and I like the softer versions

and

on somedays that softness fits me perfectly

as far as who I am, how I dress and I how I act

but

then there are those days where I'm loud in everything I do

so

I think I'll keep my options open

and

just keep being myself

*

I asked for it...you asked for it...and here it is

Carol wanted know what inspires me

~~

the sun on my face inspires me...actually the sun anywhere on my body inspires me... which makes me think of the beach and that's a whole other story

kim wanted to see my beautiful tile

~~

I cheated on this one, because this is the tile at our cottage, but it's my game and I get to make up the rules as I go along and this really is my "LOVE" tile and we used it here in the bathroom and as the kitchen backsplash

cinner wanted a picture of my house

~~

and I think she must have forgotten that in order to take that picture, I would have had to go outside in the snow and I'll have none of that and like I said, my game....so this is a picture of our cottage instead, which I like way better than our house anyhow and patti wanted a picture of something if I was looking outside my front door or window...well, here at home I'd be looking at a neighbor's house {yuck} and at the cottage I'd be looking at our prairie {yippee} so I'll just use this picture to hopefully make you both smile

meri asked about something I collect and elizabeth asked about a cluster of goodies
~~
well my vintage photos answer those questions easily
and if you really want to know, I have hundreds of them, mostly of children
and I can't seem to leave a flea market without a handful of them as somehow I believe they need a home, which answers the question sue asked me

samantha and meri... you sillies
~~
my junk drawer
I know, I know....I tend to be pretty neat

sweet laura who has been to my house wanted to see this cabinet again
~~
this is from the original post office from the home town that my hubby and I grew up in and when they built a new one, all the cubby hole pieces were taken apart and we were lucky enough to get a section of it

relyn asked about my bookshelf
~~
which is really bare right now here at home because all my books end up out at the....you guessed it.....the cottage.... because they feel good out there
{I just started, "everyone is beautiful" and I love it}

meri also asked about my favorite hanging thing
~~
be warned
story coming up
even though the picture is shitty
this is a custom made mirror by brian andreas that my hubby surprised me with when we lived in st. louis...the original saying says, "a little more space" and when we moved to st. louis I happened to be lucky enough to have a closet the size of a small shopping mall {seriously it was huge} so john called the company {story people} and asked them if they could add "closet" to the saying and brian said yes and ta-da...my favorite hanging thing

nobody asked to see sophie
but she's almost my favorite anything in the whole world
and
she wanted to model her new spring rain coat for all of you
{it's great when your sister works at land's end}

marcie asked about the inside of my fridge
~~
now if you thought I was boring
well, this just might have confirmed it for you
and you'll notice I can't live without my feta cheese or my french vanilla creamer

holly somehow knew where I spend way too much of my time
when she asked about my blogging space
~~
my desk is an old farmhouse kitchen table with worm holes in it and I love it
and it sits here in my office, which also houses my little corner of the world that somebody asked me about, but now I can't remember who

and last but not least
derrick asked me about my favorite kitchen gadget and I had to pick myself up off the floor as I fell there from laughing so hard
and then marcie asked about the dishes in my kitchen sink
~~
when my hubby read those questions he just laughed and said I needed to take a picutre of the phone and the take out menus which would answer both questions
{oh I just love that man}
~~~~~
anyhow
can I just say that you are all great and fabulous
{and I hope I didn't forget anyone and if I did, I'm so sorry}
and
you all made me think and laugh and run around the house and yell at my flash
which
totally got me out of my snow funk
and
I'm sending you all a huge hug for playing along with me
and
I can only hope that you'll come back to visit
now that you know how dull I am
*

I need a push...

because

this weekend isn't looking so good

~~

we're getting snow

~~~~~

so

in honor of being house bound

and

helping me out of my funk

I'm taking requests

~~

tell me

what you want to see

~~

seriously

throw some ideas at me

and

I'll take photos of anything IN my house that you want to see

~~

now granted

I'm making this sound like I live in an interesting house

and

that I'm an interesting person

with interesting stuff

~~

wrong

~~

what needs to be interesting

is your unique idea of what I can shoot

that will be entertaining {hopefully} when I post the photos

~~

and

what do you get out of this

?

~~

well

I'd love to bake you a cake or rub your feet

but all I can give you is

a little linky loo back to your blog so others

can see how interesting YOU are

~~

so what do you think

want to play along

?

cripes...my aging mind !

my mind weaves complicated thoughts and ideas

and

tends to remember what others have usually forgotten

~~

phone numbers

names

locations and directions

~~

but the older I get

the more I forget

~~

and

yesterday's post was a great example of me

losing it

~~

my daughter just told me that I had already posted some of those house pictures

shortly after I had taken them this past fall

and

I was like

"really....are you sure?"

and

she was like

"yep, I've seen the outside of that house before"

"but I don't think you told the story"

~~

DAMN

~~

you see

I have picture files that are bursting at the seams and I tend to keep track of which pictures I've used, which pictures I love the best, which pictures are just so-so and should be deleted, but for some reason I've formed an attachment to them and can't throw them away and which pictures will be the best ones to edit late at night when I can't sleep.

~~

but

I don't have a file of pictures labeled

"used already so don't be an idiot and use them again"

~~

I guess I need a new file

~~

so a huge apology to you, if you've already seen any of the pictures from yesterday's post in a previous post

and

to all my new readers

a.

thank you for being here

and

b.

pretend you never read any of this

~~

and

in case you were wondering

the picture for this post was in the "late night" file

sometimes I just can't help myself.....

do you see the little stone doorway on the left

?

it whispered my name

and

invited me in

where I discovered this little room

waiting for me

~~

standing there

thinking about what furry animals might be calling this broken house "home"

and

feeling a little uneasy

I knew I just couldn't turn back

without looking through the dark doorway

that was slowly pulling me closer

and

around the dark damp corner

I found this stairway carrying the same magical power as the rest of the house

so

slowly

step by tested step

I climbed to the top

only to discover a floor that was weak and worn

and

unable to hold me

~~

so I stood at the top of the stairs and looked across the room and out

what might have been the front door

and
then slowly and satisfied
I climbed back down those red stairs
into the musty darkness

relieved
to see the door in which I had entered
~~
and
as I turned back for one more look
with the safety of daylight at my shoulder
I took a deep breath
and
a little smile emerged
~~
because
that's what happens when you do something you love

a little graffic....but I think you can handle it

well I'm sitting on my exercise ball to type this

because my spine physical therapist said it would be great for my spine {duh}

and of course my neck and especially my core

~

let's stop right here for a moment

and concentrate on the word "core"

because it's starting to drive me crazy

~~

I guess it's because for years I had a stomach

and

then after my babies were born

I had a belly

but now

I have a core that just doesn't seem to be doing her job very well

and

then my physical therapist informs me that what she calls my core

is NOT the same as what

what my zumba teacher calls my core

{there's a difference in length}

and

I'm really thinking that I'd just like to have my stomach back

~

those damn cores

~~

anyhow

I can do anything {seriously anything} on this exercise ball

including balancing on it with my feet and hands in the air

but

sitting on it for any length of time

well

at first I thought it kind of hurt my va-jj

but

then I realized it wasn't really that

~

in order to balance on this thing

I have to use "those" muscles

{you know which ones}

~~

and

that can be a really good thing for women

who have had children

or

if you pee a little when you laugh

or

for women who want to tone everything down there

~~

and

that's all great and fine

and

I'm sure my husband will request that all my computer time be spent

with my exercise ball underneath me

when he reads this

because

even though

I was thinking that muscle was doing a pretty good job on it's own already

what man doesn't want to be impressed with all of his wife's muscles

strengthened

?

I'm just wondering what my physical therapist is going to say when my core

doesn't look any different when I see her next week

and

my neck still hurts

but I tell her

my sex life is better

*

my boy peeps

they would shoot

I would shoot

{my camera}

they would miss

I would miss

they would laugh

I would laugh

too

~~

the smell of gun powder

my boys smiling

the wind in our hair

a little swearing

a little sweating

lots of walking

~~

sunday

was a good day

*

not my kids, but still adorable

seriously and honestly

I'm not a stalker

~~

I might be a trespasser

but

I'm not a stalker

~~~

So I was at the park

minding my own business

when these teenage baggy pants boys showed up

to skateboard

and

since

I have a baggy pants teenage boy at home

they didn't scare me at all

and

besides

they were right where I was shooting

so I did the "I'm totally cool" dorky motherly thing and went right up to them

and

said

"hey guys, I've got a "spankin" new lens that I'm playing with....can I take your picture"

and

they said

"yup sure, totally rad"

~~~~~

and

I have to say

I LOVE this skating kid showing off just for me

and

then there was this little girl

who was laying on top of the children's

rock climbing wall

soaking up the sun

while talking to her dad

and

not having a care in the world

~~~~~

granted

with my zoom lens

these two had no idea that I took their picture

so

to protect the innocent

I've kept their faces hidden

~~~~~

remember

I don't know much about cameras or even lenses

but

I'm learning

~~

my last zoom lens was a 80-200

and

this new lens is a 70-300

and

I think I like it

~~

anything else {I think} would be too heavy for me to use without a tripod

but

PLEASE....if you have any suggestions about the zoom lenses

let me know

as my camera store has 10 day return policy

*

thanks soooo much

breathing the outside, in......

the sun
blinding today
~~
the air
warmer than they said it would be
~~
the wind
barely breathing
~~
the sky
a cotton blanket of blue
~~
the ground
damp with rotted leaves
~~
the trees
stretching and yawning while waking to spring's soft music
~~
me
oh
I was the crazy lady in the park taking pictures of everything I could find
including children I didn't know
and
ducks that made me laugh
because
I bought a new toy
and
what better way to practice than to act like a stalker
who hasn't seen daylight or people in the last
6
months
~~
I'm guessing
you camera people might be wondering what
new toy
right
?
and
you non-camera people
are wondering how strange I might actually be
if I'm taking pictures of stranger's children
right
?
~~
well
the new toy
is a mega zoom lens
~~
much better than my old one
but oh she's a heavy one
and
those photos of the children I don't know
well
they'll be in my next post
~~
{and really I'm not that strange}

wide open or just me on another quest to find the beauty in the broken

spring is here

~~~~~

are you feeling wide open

and

ready to dust off those winter cobwebs

~~

has the clutter that gathered these past months

in your

mind and movements

become too much

~~

let it go

let it all go

~~

run around in circles

breathe in that fresh new air that makes us sneeze

look for the buds on the bushes and trees

ride with your windows down

sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs

throw on a baseball cap and smile at strangers on the street

lay down on the floor and rub your dog's ears while she's sleeping

eat only potato chips for lunch

and

if you have to

~~

if you're not quite feeling it

stand on something

that will make you taller

so that you can get a better view

of it

~~

because it's here

spring is here

my calendar says so

~~~~~

so now excuse me while I go put my winter jacket back on

where the sun shines.....

I tried something different

with these pictures

~

I DIDN'T EDIT THEM

~

go ahead

pick your jaw up off the floor

~

I know

I can hardly believe it myself

what I did do though
was to follow the sun around my house
~
the plant is on our kitchen table
and
was taken around
9 AM
~
the misty mawn original
was taken around
3 PM

and
the books on our coffee table
I shot around
4 PM
~~~~~
as a photographer
and
wow am I going to use that term loosely
I get bored easily
which I'm sure has beeen obvious as this winter drags on
so I'm doing what I can to mix things up a little
~
stay tuned
maybe tomorrow I'll try taking photos with my eyes closed
*

so gross, but cool

when we were walking along the river the other day

taking pictures

and

being thankful for the thawing and wishing it was july

so we could put our toes in and test the water

I spotted this

~~~

ewwwww

~~~~~

it's a fish

probably a blue gill

I'm guessing

~~~

everything was intact

including the eyeball

staring back at me

~~~~~

now years ago when our kids were little and we had them with us all the time

this would have been so much more fun to find

because

my son and I would have found a stick

and

unlodged the poor fish from his burial grounds

and

jumped back as he floated to the top

closer to us

~~~

and

then we would have helped him to the bank

so we could really get a close up look at him

and

then jack probably would have stabbed him with the stick

just to make sure he was really dead

and

we would have laughed

~~~~~

that's the kind of mom I was

and

still am

~~~

but

since it was just me and my hubby at the river

this stick wielding mom who helps poke at buried fish didn't come out

until I looked at this picture on the camera

~~~~~

and

now I'm so wishing she had

at the top of my voice....

the wisconsin river is no longer frozen

like it was

in this photo

I took on

sunday

~~~~~

now

it's wide open

and

screaming

"I survived"

~~~~~

actually

that was me this morning in my bathroom mirror

when I realized that winter is over

~

it's really over

and

I won

~

woot woot

~

and

now I layer

OH NO

not clothing layers

been there

done that

~

I'm picture layering

and

whoa

it's not that easy

~

well okay it's not that hard

and

maybe I'm just really picky or I'm making it harder than it should it be

but

geez

you have to have just the right picture and just the right layer

to make it look like something other than a blobby mess

but

I'm getting there

~

I figure if I can master layering

tanks with built in bras

under

whisper thin t-shirts

under

turtle necks

under

polartec anything

under

a winter coat and scarf

then

I sure as hell

can do this

*

{the picture in my banner is also layered and I'll take any advice from other layerers on how to do this technique

and

yes I'm cracking myself up....layerers isn't a word, is it?}

it was calling my name.....

we had driven by this property many times

almost stopping

but never hitting the brakes completely

~

sunday

we did

~

"no trespassing"

signs

~

there were none

~

there was

a big fence that we had to jump over

though

and

we kept looking around thinking maybe the farmer

across the hundreds of acres owned the property

and

would show up on his 4-wheeler

with a shot gun

but he didn't

houses like this fascinate me in a way I can't explain

~

I wonder who lived here

and

why they let it go

~

it looks like it was loved

once

~

the pink walls

the green ceiling

the light fixture I covet

~

yes

someone loved this place

I think about the hands

that opened and closed this door

for years and years

day and night

through brutal winters and soft springs

~

was it just adults who lived here

~

maybe a young couple who couldn't ever have children

or

maybe a family with lots of children

who slept in tiny rooms on imperfect mattresses

who

shared stories around the warm fireplace in the evenings

while dad

after having spent hours tending to the farm

finally joined them while smoking his pipe

and
what room was this I wonder
~
I think maybe the kitchen
but
there was nothing inside to tell me so
~
it was filled with tires
and
rusted springs to bed frames
and
pieces of wood and debris that I couldn't even recognize
~~~~~
this is how I like to spend my weekend days
~
driving around with my hubby
looking for houses and barns
that are barely hanging on
yet still
maintain a beauty
that
not everyone can see
~
can you see it
?

draw, drawing....WINNERS !!

if you left a comment the other day

on my little give-away
your name was put into
my drawing
I decided
one
wasn't enough
two
was just about right
and
three
would give me a challenge
~~~~~
SO
if you see your name
on a slip of paper in my finger tips
you're a winner
~~~~~
well
we're all winners really
aren't we
?
{at least that's what I've always told my kids when they were on the losing team}
ANYHOW
jennifer white
julochka
and
derrick
give me a shout and let me know what prize you'd like to have
either a banner using your photos and words
{of course I'll edit your photos first because I can't control myself}
or
a favorite picture or two that you just want me to "play with"
~~~~~
THANKS
so much to everyone who played

our house....

is a very, very fine house

with 2 cats in the yard

life used to be so hard

now everything is easy

cause of you

~~~~~

come on

please tell me you were singing along with me just now

and

make me smile

*

granted

some of you bloggers reading this are almost young enough to have grown up

singing along with Barney

the likes of

"I love you, you love me"

but

this is the kind of music I was raised on

and

amazingly

there are just some songs

no matter how old you are

where you never forget

the

lyrics

~~~~~

and

where am I going with all of this you ask

?

well

finally our house is fine

since our 17 year old is back at school

after a week long bout with a flu bug

NOT

the stomach flu

but

a fever that wouldn't break

a headache that wouldn't go away

a cough that would wake the dead

a nose that ran solid for days and days

and

a sore throat where even ice cream hurt

flu

~~~~~

and

now I have teenager's basement that needs to be fumigated

*

and

while we're on the house subject

can I just say

my hubby is the greatest

?

after watching an episode of oprah one day

and

having him hear for himself that a husband

dusting the house

emptying the dishwasher

vacuuming the floors

making the beds

and

cleaning the toothpaste off of the bathroom mirrors

is

considered

FOREPLAY

for lots of women

~

well let's just say that when I returned home today

after

a morning filled with

a zumba dance class

an appointment with my spine physical therapist

and

a treatment from my acupuncturist

to

all of the above

~~~~~

yep

uh huh

it worked

I'm in the mood alright

*

but

even this manly man of mine

wouldn't go near the basement

"we'll just let that air out a little before we touch anything down there"

I heard him say

it's thursday....do you know where you're at ?

" The vision must be followed by the venture.

It is not enough to stare up the steps~

We must step up the stairs."

~vance havner~

~~~~~

what would have been really great for the above quote

?

you got it

steps

but I didn't like what I had

so I just used this photo

instead

which has nothing to do with steps or stares or stairs

oh well

~~~~~

and

there is still time

to sign up for my drawing

{see previous post}

please

jump in

the more the merrier

*

you made my day.....and I want to give you something

we had a rainy day on sunday that turned into ice

and

then into a beautiful

snow

yesterday morning when we awoke

our entire world

glistened

and

surprisingly

it was quickly melting

so I got dressed

and

asked my sweetie to come with me on a little photo escape

since our front yard

only gave me the birdhouse picture above

and

I wanted more

so

we jumped in the jeep

and

drove to my favorite little spot

where

the blinding sun was warm

the soft air whispered

"spring is almost here"

the white ice covering the rain soaked grass cracked with our weight

the creamy blue sky blanketed us

and

the words out of our mouths

were

"now this is what winter is all about"

~~~~~

now

a huge thank you to all of you who left comments

over at relyn's

about my photography

and

my passion for it

and

to thank all of you

a

GIVE AWAY

~

I'm assuming some of you don't know how to edit your photos or have the time to do so

and

I want to help

~

I either want to edit a favorite photo of yours

so you love it even more

or

I want to make you a blog banner using your photos and words

~

SO

leave a comment here

telling me that you'd like me do something for you

and

I'll do a drawing friday night and pick two or three or ten

of you

{depending on how many of you want something}

and

together we'll make something beautiful

and

again

THANK YOU ALL

for being so kind

*

I flew the coop....

I'm thrilled to be a guest blogger

today

over

at Relyn's

home sweet home

where's she making the month of march

all about

passion

~~~~~

and

I don't want to beg

but

I'd love for you to come visit me over there

and

find out what I'm passionate about

*

walking when it's warm....

It always amazes me how I can drive the same route

so many times

and

never see anything

~

the area we live in is filled with parks

yet

when it's warm enough to enjoy them

we're out at our cottage

so they never get my

time

and

attention

our weather last week really teased me

and

off I went in search of anything

and

to my surprise

I came across this neighborhood park all tucked away

and

hiding

and

I loved it

the ice on the lake was melting in the afternoon sun

the ground was spongy

the sky felt warm with a new shade of blue

the winter berries screamed my name

the birds were singing in a sound only heard in early spring

and

I had found a new park

that will be calling my name over and over again

today....

" It is important to expect nothing

to take every experience

including the negative ones

as

merely steps on the path

and

to proceed"

~ram dass~

~~~~~

this morning I went to a zumba class

expecting nothing

other than a chance to be with friends and to get out of the house

{since I don't really like going to the gym}

and

to my surprise

I loved it

and

as

I

moved and swayed

and

stepped and shook my hips

{and laughed when I saw myself in the mirrored walls}

to

the music

my body was loving all of it

too

and

I've decided it's been a long time since my body and I were friends

{mostly all winter}

and

I've decided I'm going to be nicer to her now that spring is coming

and

I'm going to take her dancing a few days a week

~

and

if she's really good

I'll stop and get her a fruit smoothie when we're done

*