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City

The prompt for this week's P52 photo was "city".

Last Friday night Dream Boy & I took a car over to a friend's house.  She had to go into the ER from work unexpectedly, so we drove her car home for her later.  Thankful she is okay.

On the way home there was the BIGGEST, FULLEST most gorgeous moon.  But did I have my camera?  NO!

So on Saturday night we decided to head downtown & get a shot of the moon and my "city" shot at the same time.

Well, the moon finally came up, an hour later than the previous night, and no where near the size either!!

It was getting quite chilly and we were both getting rumbly in the tumbly, so I took advantage of the view & got some "City" shots just after sunset from the top of the parking garage downtown.....

I get so giddy when I see my shots - I can't believe how far I've come with working & getting to know my camera well enough to not have to shoot on Auto or use the flash!

This weekly challenge continues to push me beyond those "auto" limits & find new boundaries....if there are any to be found.

 

 One last shot (of many) and we were off to the oldest Pizza Establishment in our city, I believe, for some yummy pizza!!

Art Journal

I have to remember I'm doing this for a creative release.  I have to NOT compare my work to that of others.  My form of "art" is exactly that - MY form.  I express myself in so many ways - photography, scrapbooking, doodling, baking, cooking.  But the idea of an art journal intrigues me.  I keep a written journal, so why not try an art journal.  One where I can try different mediums, or stick to those I know & love.  Some entries may be better than others, but then I don't have to share those I'm not happy with, right?

 I finally got myself down to my Creative Corner.  I have been itching to get "down & dirty", painting, inking, tearing, gluing..........it's just I don't push myself to do it.  I don't have an excuse this week - I don't have school. 

I make excuses, I don't have anything to scrapbook (I do though), I don't have any projects to work on (I do though), I don't feel like it (I do though).

 I pulled out my paints - I've never really worked with watercolors before, so this is how I'm learning.  I always reach for the blues & greens first, but today I forced myself to reach for pink.  I like pink, I really don't have anything against it, but it's not my "go to" color.  It's not my "signature color" like Shelby's blush & bashful were in Steel Magnolia's.

 Next I pulled out my markers & stamps.  Again, I'm not a stamper - that is my sister's forte......not me.  But I have the cutest little bird stamp & I recently won a little package of stamps that included this little branch from Monika at I Love It All.  Monika is a girl after my own heart & her blog title says so!  She inspires me!

My little word this year, if you don't remember, is Grace.  God is so full of Grace - it's endless!  I have been reminded so many times already in the few weeks since this year began that His Grace Is Sufficient For Me!  I have encountered many ways that leaning on Him and His grace are the only way to face things, the ups & downs of life. 

Now I may or may not choose to use my OLW (one little word) in every journal entry, but it gives me a place to start.

While painting my heart I had kind of drawn a light outline with a pencil.  I painted in my heart, coloring outside of the lines of course.  I went back to erase the pencil lines and had a "happy accident".  On the left side of the heart it erased the paint too.  But I kind of like the effect --- it highlights that side of the heart.

My goal is to not become a magnificent artist by year's end, but to be able & look back and know that each week or two I took the time to express my creativity that God has blessed me with.  My brain is always on overload with ideas and I don't always let it out in the manner in which I should....so hence, 

My Art Journal.

Get My Craft On!

Back at Christmas I talked a little about these special projects I was working on for my sisters.  I finished them, loved them & packed them up in their baskets.  Never took a picture of the finished product ---- I thought to myself, "oh well - I'll just get shots of them on Christmas Day holding them!"  Well, I got shots of them holding them------while looking AT them!  So you can't see them, but you can see how they liked them.....

...little sister and little niece......(above)

.....big sister and big bro-in-law.......(below)

Oops - big sister is NOT going to like this shot, but it's all I got.  She's not snarling at the gift, but maybe someone close by tooted???  IDK - but she did like my gift - I promise.

So, since Christmas I found time to finish my canvas.  It's been done for ages, I've just been too preoccupied to take pictures of it.  Each one I made is a little different - but they all include the family initial, the silver button, & the framed family pic.

Here is mine....

I found an idea a while back on Tim Holtz's blog which was where this idea was born from.  I used a canvas as my starting point, then lots of chipboard, scrapbook paper scraps and lots of goodies I've had stockpiled for oh-so-long in my archives.

We didn't have school again today, so with the 3 days previously scheduled off for conferences & mid-winter break, I don't have school this week!  It's like an early spring break - wish the weather would cooperate.  But I'm not going to complain of this gift of time off so I can get back into my Creative Corner and play.

I bought a journal last month with every intention of making an "Art Journal", hoping to do something in each at least once a week, but since I bought it, I've only done one page.  Must.Change.This.

So.I.Am.........Today!

Icy Wonders

Once again we were hit with a winter storm.  Yesterday it started about noon.  We had an inch of snow in less than an hour, then it turned to rain, then sleet, then snow, then rain, then freezing drizzle.........by last night the trees were coated with about 1/2" of ice.  We got a little more snow over night.  

We lost power sometime through the night.  I woke up at 3:30 am to see that the alarm clock was off - so I got up to turn on the alarm on my phone.  About 5:18am I got a call from school that we were closed - still no power, but about 5 minutes after I got the call, our power came on.  There are still a lot of people without power and there are downed trees everywhere.  We didn't get any melting today, so the trees are still weighed down greatly.  The winds have kicked up & are not helping the situation.

Libbi & I bundled up this morning, but only last about 45 minutes outside as the windchill was brutal.  But I did take my camera & here is my photo montage of our little village....

Up P52::6

This week's P52 photo prompt was "up".  While many images came to mind, I decided it best to just let it happen as I have in the past few weeks.

I find that if I overthink the prompt, the image doesn't come to mind & then I'm all flustered because I can't find the "perfect" image.

So last Friday during our annual Snowcoming Black Light Pep Assembly I happened to look over on the far wall.  I loved the affect the black lights had on the flag, even though it was so far from the lights.

I walked over directly beneath it and looked "up" --- WaLa!  My image!

I haven't yet read the prompt for this next week, but I must say I am enjoying these weekly challenges.  They sometimes force me to think outside the box of my normal photos and also to think more creatively.

We are enjoying a little "spring break" in our Michigan weather.  It was near 50 degrees yesterday & today they are promising it to be in the 50s.  We are supposed to get some light rain, but it is melting the snow and I'm actually seeing grass again in my yard!  It's been so long.  

Yesterday while outside with Libbi I even heard some bird song in the woods.  How joyful!

Dream Boy got home from work early, so we went for a long walk around the village.  He even took a few minutes to go into the library and find a book to read!

The weather is predicted to return to normal for this time of year by the weekend, of course.  But in the meantime I'm loving this little "spring break" in the air!

Forever Young

Today was a rough day.  Early this morning the news came that a 2009 graduate of our school died.  It shook a lot of us right to our very core.

So many of the staff remember this young man as a very energetic, happy kid.  He always seemed to have smile on his face.

I had the pleasure of spending time with him on the senior trip to Disney that year, taking some great action shots of him & his buddies while they played in one of the 3 pools at the hotel.

He was a smaller guy, so all his buddies, who were considerably bigger, formed a circle & put him in the center.  They all held their hands in the middle while this young man stood on them.  As they counted to three they boosted him into the air like a rocket!!  He was thrust so high that he did a back flip into the pool.

I was standing up on the 3rd floor balcony taking pictures!   It was so fun to see the joy they were all sharing in on this trip.

The memories made then for all of these boys' is one they will hold onto forever.  Tonite many of them have been revisiting those pictures in my FB gallery & reliving those memories.

My heart breaks for his parents and siblings.  I feel helpless, yet I know that I can pray for comfort and strength and healing that only our heavenly Father can bring in these times.

JB will be greatly missed by many and will always stay "forever young" in our hearts & minds.

Morning P52:6

Our assignment for this past week's 52 photos was "morning".

Ugh - not my favorite time of day, especially when the alarm makes morning come way too early.

I thought & thought about this prompt and had visions of a beautiful sunrise or breakfast in bed (not really) and then I was stumped.  I think I over think things & make them too hard sometimes.

So I thought through this some more and realized there is one thing I do every morning without fail at the same time, regardless if I need to get up for school or I get to sleep in.

My alarm clock is set for 5:55am every day.

This is my morning ritual that happens every day without fail!  It is my "5 hour energy boost" which in all actuality is my 24 hour boost.  It is my thyroid meds.   The bottle is upside down so that I know I took it.  I have had days when I'm so tired when I wake up that I've actually forgotten if I took it or not.  So when this happened & I mentioned it to my patient advocate, she made this suggestion to help me remember.  Before I go to bed at night, it gets turned right side up for the next morning.

I need to take this an hour before eating or drinking or 2 hours after I eat or drink.  Since I don't always have 2 hours at night between when I last ate and go to bed, I chose to take it every morning at this time.  The alarm is set for Dream Boy to get up and when I'm in school I get up a 1/2 hour after him.

It just made sense.

Huh?

It's that time of year again - Snowcoming!  I'm the official unofficial photographer during this week of fun & games at school.

Today was our Senior Auction.  The seniors sign up in groups of however many and are put up for auction to be bought by the underclassmen.  All the proceeds go to the Senior Class Trip to Grad Nite in Disney World in April.  We buy dinner for them one night with the monies raised! 

This is a shot off all the seniors who were bought - showing their profile's for their mug shots!

This is Greg - he's either not too happy about who bought his group or he had a very rough night!!

 So after the auction and the kids' are back to class I upload my pics to Facebook for the kids' and/or parents to enjoy later - like after school when it's okay to be on Facebook.  My principal likes to see them too.

So today, I'm downloading shots on FB and a little window pops up that tells me a certain student just tagged his picture!  During school!  During my class - said certain student who just tagged his picture is sitting across from me IN MY ROOM!!  Huh??

So I say to said student: "student, are you serious?"

Student: "what?"

Me: "Are you serious???  You just tagged a pic of yourself on facebook FROM YOUR PHONE!"

Student: "I was using it to uh, to look, um......"

Me: "You're not supposed to have your phone out at school, let alone use it to tag yourself on FB IN MY CLASSROOM!  Hand over the phone."

By now the rest of the class is rolling with laughter while said student shuffles across the room to turn in his phone.

On another note.........I made some early Valentine goodies this past weekend. Dream Boy and I had his mom & dad out for dinner on Sunday to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary.  We made their favorite, spiral ham, green beans and cheesy potatoes.  After dinner I surprised them with a "Skype" call from their daughter in Florida.  They were thrilled!

Then I pulled out dessert......

Yummy Red Velvet Whoopie Pies!  They are DELISH!  My big sister sent me a link to the recipe a few weeks ago & I finally made a batch.  Sorry sis, this picture is of the last one & I just finished eating it!  The rest were shared with the in-laws, the son, my friend at school who lives in Maine in the summer and introduced me to Whoopie Pies 2 years ago when we went out there for summer vacation.  Maybe I'll have time to make another batch and get a few down to you to share  :)

Letter P52-Week 5

The prompt for this past week's Project 52 photos in 52 weeks was:

Letter

I had all kinds of ideas run through my head when I read this prompt,  but yesterday as I was out walking through the streets of our little village I noticed all the mailboxes and knew I had my picture...

I thought about submitting this picture because it shows what the mailman has to deal with in heavy snows - people who don't clear a path to their mailbox.

But I really like this picture of my mailbox - looking so lonely & cold, awaiting the mailman.
I'm one of those people who loves to get snail mail.  Not the bills, so much, but the fun stuff like cards, magazines and surprises!
We have another snow day today - the secondary (country) roads are still waiting to be plowed out.  The sun is shining today - but the temps are still bitterly cold.

Blizzard Schmizzard.........

Blizzard???????

 No - not the Dairy Queen kind of Blizzard.......although that does sound good & now that I know a size 14-16 is actually a medium......see yesterday's post.....

Anyways - back to the BIG story here in Michigan and for most of the US today.....

A blizzard is predicted to hit us here starting around 5pm tonite and continue on through most of the day tomorrow.

We're hearing that winds are going to be in excess of 35 mph and snow could fall anywhere from 1" - 3" per hour.

We haven't had a storm like this since 1978 - I was still living at home and my Dream Boy & I were dating.  The road to my house hadn't been plowed out yet so, he put his big orange truck in 4 wheel drive and decided to drive through the field behind our house and pulled up into our backyard!

My mom was in the kitchen doing dishes when she looked up and started laughing!  She yelled at me, "Patteeeeeeeeeeeeee - your boyfriend is here!  He's in the backyard!"  It's a memory that we talk about a lot!  My mom just thought that was the funniest thing ever!

When I got home from school today I thought about how I could track the snow fall and show you just how much we may or may not get.

In our backyard, right outside my kitchen window is this snowman - not a big orange truck, but this snowman sign.

I've marked it at 8"...........

I put the ruler into what snow we already have on the ground and measured from the ground up to this point on the stick.  We are predicted to get anywhere from 11 - 18 inches, maybe even 20 by the time this is all done.....

I will do my best to go out as much as I can to track the snowfall amounts and the time.

But for now.......time to stock the woodburner & crank up the fire.  It is extremely cold already!
This just in.............