Not Feeling Well.

Sorry folks! I am not feeling well tonight...seems this sickness Ty had is creeping around the family...Ladybug might be down for the count too. I did take pics today, but will not be posting tonight. Hopefully I can catch up tomorrow. I will try to post Day 31 ad Day 32 tomorrow

xoxo

Day 30/365- Polar Bear Plunge

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 800; f/8; 1/640; 70mm focal length; manual exposure; auto white balance; no flash; curves and contrast pop in Photoshop

Today was the day for our local Polar Bear Plunge. The "real" Polar Bear Plunge actually takes place in Baltimore in the Chesapeake Bay, but since we are out in the boonies, our local friends and neighbors decided to raise money for Special Olympics and have our own Polar Bear Plunge at a neighbor's farm.

For those who have no idea what a polar bear plunge is, it is when crazy people get in bathing suits in the middle of winter and get in the icy waters to raise funds for Special Olympics. My husband and children decided they wanted to participate, so we signed up. I, of course, had to be the picture taker, so I couldn't get in, darn it ;0)

Little did we know when we signed up that it was going to be one of the coldest weekends yet. The temperature was a *balmy* 17 degrees as they were getting ready to do the plunge. They actually had to use large metal rods to break a hole in the ice of the farm pond to give them some room to get into the water. To add insult to injury, it started snowing just about the time their toes hit the water.

I was proud of all three of them (and the rest of my neighbors who did it as well). Brian and Ty went all the way under and Ladybug went in to her waist and then dipped her head under, keeping her chest out of the icy water. They then ran out of the pond into towels being held by loving friends. After that, it was time to get in a warm pick-up truck for a ride to the changing tent for dry, warm clothes. Next was the bonfire and hot chocolate. It was a fun and worthwhile event and we can't wait to do it again next year.

I wasn't able to stay the whole time but as I was leaving I turned to take the above picture of the pond where the event took place. Can you see the snow falling? It snowed the rest of the day and we ended up with several inches! You can also see the small group of people waiting to do their plunge on the far side of the pond. We were there early due to other obligations and Brian, Ty, and Ladybug were the first to go. I hear that after I left a HUGE crowd showed up and it was quite the party! I was sorry I missed it! I will show the rest of the photos on Friday when I do the Week in Review ;0)

On a sad note, my sister in law was in a horrible car accident today. Her SUV flipped over and she had to be cut from the vehicle. Thank you for all of you on Facebook for your prayers. She is home tonight all banged up and bruised, but was able to escape with only a badly sprained ankle. We are so thankful that she is okay. Vehicles can be replaced, but family members can not.

On that note, please send loving thoughts to my friend, N, who just lost her father to cancer last night. She has been helping care for him for many months now and is so very sad to lose her father. Please pray for comfort for her and her family.

Have I mentioned you all rock? Thanks for everything...

Over and out!

Day 29/365-Dark Omen- Week In Review 4

As you know, on Fridays I get to share not only my picture for today but also the other pictures that didn't make it as the "picture of the day" during the past week. What I realized as I am wrapping up the first month of this project, is that it pays to always carry your camera with you. For instance, today's image was taken from the driver's seat of my car after dropping the kids off at school and daycare. There was a huge rush of birds (hundreds!) swarming overhead and one happened to land in a tree right next to the road. There was not another soul on the dirt road I was traveling, so I stopped right there in the middle, rolled down the window, and took this shot. I was very lucky I had changed lenses to my biggest zoom. Thanks for posing, birdie!

By the way, does anyone know if this is a raven, a grackle, or a crow? I have a hard time telling the difference. I think crows and ravens are bigger than this fellow, so my guess is a grackle.

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens; manual exposure, ISO 320; f/7.1; 1/640; auto white balance; no flash; 300mm focal length; Processed with Photoshop

These are some more images from today...on the same road, only I inched the car forward so the line of trees was no longer blocking my view...



I even was able to capture one with something in its mouth:

Here are a few from earlier in the week:



As promised, Ty's eye in full color:

Yes, this is a water runoff grate. I got out of my car last weekend to donate at the local Goodwill store when I saw this. I liked the visual impact of the diagonal lines and the reflection from below. It made a great abstract. Who knew drainage ditches could look this good? ;0)

Also, as promised, I am announcing the winner of my free 8 x 10 give away! Congratulations to Lisa from Grandma's Briefs! Lisa, please contact me with your mailing address so I can get that on the way to you!

Keep checking back everyone...I may feel like having another giveaway soon...any suggestions on what picture you would like me to give away?

Have a fabulous weekend. Stay warm!

xoxo

Day 28/365- *Almost* Full Moon

Although tonight's moon looked like a full one to me, according to an internet source, the actual date for the full moon will be on Saturday. We are supposed to have major cloud cover on Saturday night due to an approaching storm, so I took advantage of it tonight. ;0)

Tripod mounted Canon EOS 5D; EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens; ISO 50; f/5.6; 1/400; 300mm focal length; manual exposure; auto white balance; no flash

Thanks for playing along to yesterday's trivia question...two of you go the correct answer...My latest obsession is Good and Plenty candies! Don't ask why. I don't even like black licorice that much. The good news is that I can only eat a few at a time, so it isn't that horrible for the figure and one box goes a long way ;0) I suppose one could have a much worse food obsession!

I have a winner for my 8x10 print giveaway! I will announce the winner tomorrow, so please check back in then to see who will be taking home the water lily print ;0)

I hope you all have a great Friday tomorrow!

Day 27/365- Frost on the Car

Today's image is a macro of the frost pattern on my car this morning. They are calling for snow this weekend! Brian and the kids (Ty and Brenna...not the foster children!) are planning on doing the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics in 20 degree weather. I will for sure have pictures of that!

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF24-70 f/2.8 lens; ISO 640; f/4; 1/1600; manual exposure underexposed 1/2 stop; auto white balance; cropped and increased contrast in Photoshop

Don't forget to sign up for my Free 8x10 print of the black and white water lily picture giveaway! Some of you were confused and thought the give away picture was my son's eye. It is not! That is even too spooky for me, his mama! It is the water lily picture which you can see by clicking on this link. You must comment on the Day 26 Post (not this one) by Thursday 9PM in order to be in the drawing. The winner will be announced sometime on Friday.

Here is a trivia question for you...Try to guess what "food" have I been addicted to lately. Here is the ingredient list:

Sugar, corn syrup, wheat flour, molasses, (contains 2% or less of: licorice extract, gum acacia, salt, caramel color, modified cornstarch, artificial color (K-Carmine and Red 40), resinous glaze, anise oil, carnauba wax, artificial flavor, and sulfur dioxide (preservative)).

Sounds yummy, no?

Until tomorrow my friends...

Day 26/365- Eye Opening (And a Give Away!)

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF 24-70mm f.2.8 lens; ISO 640; f/4; 1/100; manual exposure; auto white balance; no flash; converted using gradient map in Photoshop with curves adjustment. Color version will be posted on Friday ;0)

Today was the first day in a long time that felt normal. Now that the foster children are officially here until the time when their biological family can take them home, it has taken a few days to settle in and for things to get back to a normal rhythm.

Ty is back to his goofy self, happy to give me this crazy pose (but still refusing to be normal in front of the camera.) He went for his mono blood test today and we are hoping that all is fine.

Ladybug is back to her wise and thoughtful self...still a bit frustrated when she begins to walk down the hall to where her old bedroom was, stopping short realizing that it is no longer there. She digs her new room now and is quite happy and comfortable in there. She is as wise and thoughtful as ever. When listening to a CD of toddler songs in the car today, she asked me in all seriousness, "So what is it with the monkey and the weasel anyway? Why were they chasing each other around the cobbler's bench? It isn't like they wear shoes. And why did the weasel pop?" I had to laugh.

I feel like I have found a routine that is working for me...now if I could only squeeze in time for exercise I would be good to go.

Okay, I was thinking about running a little contest to celebrate the finalization of our foster placement and to thank everyone for hanging in there with me for these months as life exploded around me. The prize is a free 8 x 10 of this print. I am actually thinking of getting this really large to hang in the guest bedroom over the bed. All you have to do is write a comment on this post telling me what your favorite drink is from a coffee bar. I know, random, but I am just curious. Be sure to leave contact information so I can reach you if you are the winner. A winner will be drawn Thursday night at around 9PM so be sure to comment before then. Winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!


xoxo

Day 25/365- Rainy Day Blues

Floor resting Canon EOS 5D; EF24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 800; f/4; 1/25; manual exposure; auto white balance; no flash

Today was the second rainy day in a row. We had torrential rain again today. This morning Brian trudged through the mud to load the two baby goats and the mama goat into the truck to take them to the vet to have the babies' male parts taken care of and to have their horns removed. The wind was howling like it was trying to blow us all the way to Oz...branches falling everywhere creating quite the chaos here on These Nine Acres. I was watching out the window, waiting for the other three children to wake up (Ty was already up and on the bus), when I saw Brian remove his rain coat, throw it in the back seat of the truck, and start to get in the driver's seat. And then his cell phone rang. I saw him have a short conversation, get out of the truck, put his raincoat back on and come walking up to the mud room door. His face did not look happy. The early morning phone call had been the vet canceling the appointment due to illness. Of course the phone call came AFTER all of the rig-a-ma-ro of loading the animals. Now he had to reverse the process and get the animals back into the barn out of the weather. So much for a good start to the morning!

The rest of the day was spent doing chores that were good for a rainy day...laundry, dishes, changing sheets, mending stuffed animals and pants with missing buttons, making meals for the rest of the week...etc. At about lunch time I found Buddy relaxing and taking a nap on the living room rug. Apparently he was bored with Barney that was on in the background. I had not yet turned off the video the kids were watching earlier and you can actually see Barney's purple reflection on the wooden floor if you look closely. I found myself jealous of my handsome dog, wishing that some cleaning fairy would appear and finish my chores so I could curl up with him and catch a few winks. It didn't happen.

The good news is the sun came out this afternoon...finally...and the wind calmed down to a mild windstorm level. I actually sat outside on the porch in a sunbeam for a few minutes. The air was balmy for this time of year and it actually had a faint smell off spring beginning to emerge. The damp earth seemed to be waking up a bit, but by the end of the week the temps will be back down into the twenties for highs. I will take the breath of warmth when I can get it!

I hope you all had a great day!

Weigh In: Fill in the blanks:

1. I am wishing for_________.
2. The last phone conversation I had was about _____________.
3. My most embarrassing moment in middle school was _________.
4. I would prefer to be doing _________ rather than doing _________.
5. I still want to __________ before the winter ends.

Day 24/365- Rainy Day Activities

"One thing a mother must always save for a rainy day is patience."
~Unknown

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; Lensbaby Composer lens with soft focus optic swap inserted; two images layered together; ISO 800; 1/20 f/2.8

Yesterday was a rainy, sleepy day. We spent the time coloring and playing cards; specifically War and Go Fish. It has been a long time since we have taken a day off and done pretty much nothing except tend to the kids and spend quiet time at home. No construction, no running.

All I really wanted to do was curl up in a ball under a blanket and take a nap. Unfortunately, with so many kids in the house, naps are a thing of the past. So, instead, cards and coloring kept us busy.

I hope you all are having a good one. I got around to "see" some of you today and hope to have a bit of time later to see some more.

Miss you all!

P.S. Thanks for all the well wishes for Ty. He is much better and back in school although the doc still wants him to get tested for Mononucleosis. I really don't think he has it, though.

Day 23/365- Eye

"My eyes are an ocean in which my dreams are reflected."
~Unknown

Day 22/365- Week in Review 3

This is the image for the first day of Week 4. I can't believe it will be a month down at the end of this week. It has gone crazy fast and I truly didn't think I would make it this far:

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 400; f/9; 1/30/white balance cloudy preset; manual exposure; no flash

I only took one image today, so I had to make it count. I was driving along a rural non-paved road today and came across this beautiful mill. I had to stop quickly for today's image. There was no shoulder to the road, so I had to be fast and decisive. I am happy with what I got.

The rest of the images were ones that I took during this past week but didn't make it for one reason or another as the shot of the day. I still want to share them with you:

Another "along the road" shot. One of my favorite local farms:



Ty (in the Jeff Gordon shirt) playing a pick up game of indoor soccer. I used the Lensbaby here. All the blur is from the lens, not post-processing.


Who doesn't love animal crackers and a sippy cup of milk?

A few more from my night out with Brian in Baltimore last Friday night: The first is a corner of the Hippodrome theater. I like the steam rising from the street...adds a bit of mystery ;0)


A view looking towards the Hippodrome theater (on the left with the long marquee sign) from the parking garage.


A typical night city shot:


It was a busy, eventful, life changing week this week. I hope all of yours was a bit calmer. Keep us in your prayers and I hope to stop by soon to "see" everyone. Thanks again for all the love, kind words, private emails, and facebook messages. It keeps me going.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Day 21/365- Childhood Memories

“The things which the child loves remain in the domain of the heart until old age. The most beautiful thing in life is that our souls remaining over the places where we once enjoyed ourselves"
~Kahill Gibran

Hand held Canon 5D; EF24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 1250; f.2.8; 1/80; custom white balance; manual exposure; no flash

Since I am just picking up my camera at about 9:30 PM tonight, I am tired and uninspired. It was a long and emotional day that ended with Ty relapsing with whatever this terrible virus is. His fever is now higher than it was the first day he was sick and his throat is so sore he can barely eat. I will have to call the doctor back tomorrow to double check that the sent out strep culture is, in fact, negative. He sure is presenting the same exact way he usually presents with strep.

Whatever it is, I hope his germs remain confined to him. I do not need, want, or have the patience for other sick children right now. Of course if any (or all of them) were to become sick I would find the patience, but I just can not image it right now.

So, as I was panicking that I had not yet taken my picture of the day, I wandered around the house looking for something worthy enough (and easy enough) for a quick shot. I walked down my hallway and happened upon one of my favorite shelves in our built in bookshelf. It is where I house some of my favorite childhood books and an antique Pinocchio I inherited from my grandmother. When my grandmother was just a young teen she worked at a grocery store. The year was circa 1940 and the movie Pinocchio was just released in theaters. The grocery store where she worked got a shipment of promotional Pinocchio dolls to sell. She, lucky for me, was able to keep one (I am not sure if she was given it by the owner or if she actually spent money to buy it.)

As a child I can remember going into my grandmother's spare bedroom where she kept an old cedar box she had gotten on her 18th birthday. I would slowly raise the lid to the box, inhaling the beautiful cedar smell, and see Pinocchio staring back at me from his makeshift crypt. I loved that doll. It is a huge piece of my childhood and it makes me happy to remember my grandparents every time I see it.

Oh, and just of kicks, I guess I will tell you that I also inherited that cedar box. It sits in a place of distinction in my bedroom and some days I close my eyes, open the box and inhale gently to smell that faint cedar smell that has faded over the years, but still remains, hidden deep in the wooden box's fibers. I don't keep Pinocchio in there any more as he as had enough of darkness and preservation for his lifetime, and should instead, be shared with the rest of the family/world. Maybe one day (soon) I may put him back in his home there for safe keeping for a few years, away from curious prying hands.

The Pinocchio is in near mint condition, due in part I guess to my grandmother's insistence on keeping the doll in the cedar box all those years, and still has the original tag it came with from 1940. I wonder how much it would be worth today? No matter what its monetary value, I could never part with it anyway. Too much of my grandparent's memories are wrapped up in that little wooden boy toy.

Weigh In: Do you have something from your grandparents that holds deep emotional memories for you? If so, what is it? Take a picture of it, post it, and link back here. We would all love to see it!

Day 20/365- A Knock on the Door

"Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want."
~Joseph Wood Krutch

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 250; f/2.8; 1/160; manual exposure; auto white balance; no flash fired; converted to black and white using the green channel in Photoshop; layer mask added to bring back the color of his eye.

Our barn cat, Dusty, is one of the smartest creatures I know. Ever since we had that blizzard earlier in the winter (we let him in the house for fear of losing him in the drifts), he has decided that it is, in fact, quite comfortable in the warm house. Every morning this is where I find him...knocking on the mudroom door. He is so smart, he has figured out that by watching the door handle, as he is here, for the slightest movement, he can time his leap to the floor perfectly to dash inside.

After cruising the house and meowing at the top of his lungs, he will settle in on his favorite rocking chair and sleep the rest of the day in peaceful, warm, comfort in a way that only a cat can. Unfortunately, this means he is being lazy and not doing his job: keeping the field mice out of the barn. So, we humans have had to outsmart the cat and watch each time we open the door for this crafty creature's antics. Most of the time we are successful at keeping him outside, but there are occasions when his cunning wins.

Love to all,

Day 19/365- A Slice of the Past

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."
~Seneca

hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF 24-70mm f/2.8mm lens; ISO 400; f/7.1; 1/200; Manual exposure; no flash; auto white balance; taken on my way to Wal Mart at the Stewartstown, PA Historical Train Station.

I took this picture yesterday, Day 19 of Project 365, but did not have a chance to post it. My day was so full I hardly had time to breathe much less post this image. It started out bright and early taking my daughter for a much needed haircut. She desperately needed the ends trimmed off of her hair and so we got that out of the way first thing.

Next it was off to Wal Mart to grab a few last minute items needed for the foster children. We did our shopping, and zoomed home. I walked in the door at about 11:30 and found my son newly awake, crashed on the sofa sick as a dog. He couldn't swallow and was running a fever of 101.5. I ran to call the doctor to get him an appointment and then off to put the groceries away. Finally, I was able to assist Brian in clearing out Ty's old room and moving all of his stuff to the new basement room. This, my friends, was not an easy task. It was not just a matter of moving things, it was a matter of going through everything in his room and cleaning out as we went along. To say my son is a pack rat is a grossly exaggerated understatement. This child keeps EVERYTHING.

After a couple hours of this, I had to take Ty to his doctor's appointment. It turns out it was not strep as I had suspected, but either a virus or a minor case of the flu. Since he had both the seasonal and the H1N1 flu shots this year, it is possible that it was the flu, but just a minor form. Either way, no medicine will cure it, so we have to wait it out. Once back home I had about another 1.5 hours to help finalize Ty's move downstairs. Then, I grabbed a quick meal and headed out to my last Foster Parenting class. Since I missed one when I had foster kids for respite care, I had 3 hours I had to make up in order to FINALLY get my certificate. Brian and I are now officially licensed!

I arrived home at about 10:30 PM completely exhausted and fell into bed.

I realized that there are just going to be some days that the post does not happen and that is OK. As long as I take the pictures each day, there might be a day when I have to double up on the posts. I have to give myself a break or this will project will never happen to the end.

I will post today's picture tonight at about 11:30 PM, so then I will be all caught up. There is a chance tomorrow's post will be delayed, as I have court all day and then I return home to 4 children's needs and a hubby who will be hungry. We'll see. If I don't post tomorrow, it will go up on Friday.

I am trying to visit everyone in the middle of all the chaos, as I get a minute or two here and there. Please know that I am doing the best I can, but that, thanks to my Blackberry, I see every comment each of you makes and it makes my heart sing when I see an encouraging word from you, my friends. So, thanks for the support and comments. They are more appreciated than you know.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xoxo

Day 18/365- Innocence

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF24-70mm f/2.8; manual exposure; ISO 400; f/2.8; 1/200; auto white balance; no flash; layered with two textures; Painterly from Shadow House Creations and a Florabella texture that I can't remember at this second...

Can't stay long to chat as we are feverishly building the new Ikea furniture we purchased for Ty's new room today. As we put the whole crew in the truck to head out today, I turned to check on the kids and saw a stuffed animal lovingly tucked into one of the car seats. A little hand was gently curled, relaxed and calm in a loose fist. I couldn't resist.

There is nothing cuter than a child who has a love affair with a stuffed toy.

Hoping you all had a fabulous Monday! I will be around to visit everyone tomorrow!

xoxo

Day 17/365- Vending

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; Lensbaby Composer lens; ISO 1000; f/2.8; 1/100; manual exposure; custom white balance; no flash

Peanut butter and jelly.
Macaroni and cheese.
Pizza and pepperoni.
Popcorn and butter.

They all go together nicely, do they not?

Today I was excited to get out of the house and take my son, Ty, to his indoor soccer game. It started at 3PM and I still had not taken my picture for today. I am finding it even more difficult now that I have foster children to attend to. Anyway, I decided to take along my camera despite the rainy weather, just in case I saw something that was visually interesting. I also wanted to get a few shots of Ty playing soccer since he won't let me take any when he is just sitting there.

As I was walking by the vending room at our local rec center, this bright, colorful scene caught my eye. There were 4 vending machines, 2 on each wall facing each other. What grabbed my attention was the reflection of the Coca Cola machine in the glass of the candy machine. The moment I saw it I giggled to myself because I thought, "Hmmmm...an ice cold Coke and a bag of peanut M & M's. There could not possibly be any yummier combination of treats than that. " It turned the dreary, rainy day into a bright colorful one very quickly.

And so now I am sharing it with you.

Weigh In: Should Coca Cola and M & M's become one of our iconic "go togethers?"

Day 16/365- Pears

The word for the day: EXHAUSTED.

We were out late last night and up early this morning.

We got a placement of two toddlers for respite foster care this morning.

Praying toddlers will sleep through the night despite the new surroundings.

Nuff said.

Going to bed y'all. Don't even think I can make it through the Ravens game. And that is saying a lot. You all KNOW I love me some Ravens.

Love and peace to all,

Day 15/365- Bromo Seltzer Tower

hand held (supported on edge of parking garage wall) Canon EOS 5D; Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens; ISO 3200; 1/13; manual exposure and focus; auto white balance; no flash

On Friday night, Brian took me on a date to downtown, Baltimore to see the musical Young Frankenstein a the Hippodrome. To say we had an awesome time would be an understatement. The musical was hysterical, the weather was warm, and we were a bit early so I had a chance to pull out the camera and take this shot of the famous Bromo Seltzer tower. As you can see, the normal lights have been replaced with purple lights in honor of our Ravens football team. Baltimore is proud to once again have our team in the playoffs and our city is bathed in purple lights from city hall to the Bromo Seltzer tower.

You can read more about this famous Baltimore landmark here.
To learn more about the musical Young Frankenstein, you can read about it here. Seriously, if you have never seen it, you HAVE to go. HYSTERICAL!

Friday night was our last date night together (thanks to my father in law and his wife for taking the kids overnight!) before getting foster children placed in our home. With all that is going on with that and the construction of the basement, I was exhausted and didn't really want to go. Fortunately, my husband reminded me how important it is and would be for us to concentrate on making our relationship a priority in the midst of all the craziness that fostering will bring. I am glad he is who he is and convinced me to go because it was the best show I had ever seen. Thanks Brian!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo

Week In Review- Week 2

I will not be able to post my Day 15 picture until tomorrow. I am taking my camera to the city with me tonight to take pictures in Baltimore before I see a show at the Hippodrome. We won't be home until past midnight, so I will post Day 15 with my Day 16 post. As long as I take the picture before midnight, I don't see the harm of posting it the next day.

In the meantime, these are a few shots from the past week that didn't make the cut:






Yeah, I made myself into a cartoon ;0p



Have a great weekend! xoxo

Day 14/365- Versions of Ladybug

Canon EOS 5D; EF 50mm f/1.8 prime lens; ISO 1600; f/2.8; 1/40; auto white balance; no flash

Processed with Pioneer Woman's 70's action with a Florabella Texture; Overlay mode 27%

Processed with Pioneer Woman's BW action

I am finding, especially over the course of this school year that my beautiful daughter is changing in ways that I could have only imagined before. She is morphing not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. It is about that time when the whole metamorphosis occurs in a girl's life and I just hope I will recognize her when we come out the other side.

And so the roller coaster begins. Why hasn't an amusement park named a roller coaster "The Terrifying Hormonal Teenage Girl?" Now that would be a hilly thrill ride with lots of emotional ups and downs. I remember myself, the urge to cry, but not knowing why. Yeah, she is starting to experience that. I call it the estrogen effect. Poor thing. It feels like forever going through this stage, when actually it is just a blink of an eye.

Weigh In: Which do you prefer? The regular color version, the black and white version or the 70's version?

Day 13/365- Choices

Canon EOS 5D; 24-70mm EF lens; 62mm focal length; ISO 400; f/3.2; 1/125; manual exposure, no flash, texture added; processed with Photoshop watercolor filter

Sometimes life is this huge unknown. You think you know where the path is leading and then, BAM! right there in the middle of the road is a Y. Should you go left, go right, or just stay frozen where you are? There are no crystal balls and no going back. What is the right choice? Where will this path lead? Will it be the smooth road with no toll booths or potholes or detours or will it be the rough road with closures and traffic jams and rock slides?

The above description of life really scares me. It is very harsh and dramatic and some how final. I prefer to think of life as an oil painting in the making, emerging from the canvas with different layers and colors of paint. If you don't like the color or composition of the piece, you can remix your colors and paint over top of what is there. The lower layers are still there, but hidden. All the layers, hidden or not, add to the texture and thickness of the final masterpiece.

That description sounds so much more human and humane to me. We, as a family, have been faced with making HUGE decisions lately that will change the course of all of our lives. Sometimes I just want to freeze in fear and stop thinking about everything. Sometimes, I want someone else to make the decision for me so I can't blame myself if it is a rough path. Sometimes I just want to take a leap of faith and jump in with both feet before I know how cold the water will be. And sometimes I just want to hold onto the decision, swirling it in my brain over and over like a rock in a rock polisher and not making a choice until I am sure it is all shiny and pretty.

While I wish there was a crystal ball to tell us which path will be the smoothest and will be lined with beautiful scenery along the journey, I know that is not the case and will never happen. No use wishing for something that is impossible. I can, however, enjoy the ride the choice we make will take us on. If it turns out to be the rough path, we will just have to pull out the 4 x 4 and buckle our seat belts.

I know this image is not my typical type of image, but this Project 365 is about stepping out of my box. I wanted my feelings about choices to be represented visually by this image. I hope I achieved my goal.

xoxo

Day 12/365- Feeding the Birds

Canon EOS 5D; EF 24-70mm f.2.8 lens; manual exposure; 35mm focal length; ISO 200; f/6.3; 1/50; no flash

So, call me a wimp. Go ahead. I know that I said I was going to only post monochrome pictures for my 365 project, but I am fickle. And I am easily bored. And I have no will power. And I was feeling uninspired and slightly grumpy today. So I posted color. And I have decided to continue to post color images as long as I feel like it. Because it is my blog and my rules. And I can change them however I want. So there. Oh, and I can also start every sentence with a conjunction if I want to too because what I say goes here.

Is it ironic that we store the bird food in an old cat litter bin?

Why did the self timer insist on catching me looking like I was doing a clumsy pirouette in a farmer version of a horrible ballet? Just be glad I wasn't wearing a tutu.

I love that Carhartt coat. It is warm and toasty. It makes me happy even if I do look like a brown marshmallow puff redneck.

Yes, I always have my mouth gaping open like an idiot when I am concentrating.

Do my furry boots rock or what?

Those are my favorite jeans. Size 6 from Old Navy.

☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃

The goats, Elvis and Presley, are doing well. They are getting big already and are now jumping and prancing and dancing and doing all the things rambunctious kids do. Brian put some wood blocks in the stall to help entertain them. I think very soon they will be ready for their first venture out into the big wide world.

Fostering is coming along. We finished our last meeting with our social worker before we are licensed. Brian and I have one make up class each and by this time next week we should have our license in hand. *whew* It has been a long 4 month journey, but hopefully worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears.

The basement bedrooms *fingers crossed* should be ready to move into by this weekend. The heat is on, the electricity is running and all we need now is to have moulding installed, the doors installed, and the closets finished. I CAN NOT WAIT. I just need everyone to be moved and settled so I can be ready for the foster children! The bathroom, hallway, and the laundry room still need to be finished, but we can work on that while the bedrooms are in use.

I really have been trying to visit everyone but with construction and fostering, it has been tough. I will continue to visit as much as I can and I can't say thank you enough to all of you for your kind comments and friendship!

Weigh In: When you concentrate, what funny thing do you do? (Tap fingers, drool, hum, etc...) I know I am not the only quirky one out there in blogland!

Day 11/365- Withdrawn in Forest

I had withdrawn in forest, and my song
Was swallowed up in leaves that blew away;
And to the forest edge you came one day

~Robert Frost (Dream Pang)

Taken with my Blackberry camera. No EXIF info. Layer from Shadow House Creations desaturated and set to Linear Burn mode.

I had a busy day but when I saw this image thorough my windshield while dropping off my daughter at school this morning, I am glad I decided to grab the Blackberry and capture it. It reminded me of the above Frost poem.

Does anyone else do that... See a scene and think of a poem or song or am I the only weird one?

Off to paint more doors for the basement. *sigh* Will the construction ever be finished. How much dust can one human take?

Love to all...

Day 10/365- Introducing Elvis and Presley

"A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood."

~Hal Wallis (Producer)

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; 50mm f/1.8 lens; ISO 320; f/4.o; 1/125; manual exposure; no flash; auto white balance with color correction and black and white conversion in Photoshop (the light was from a heat lamp which = VERY YELLOW LIGHT and I couldn't get the custom WB to match because I forgot a white piece of paper.)

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I couldn't resist showing you the color version:
Well, the baby goats have survived so far. Ty and Ladybug decided to take their Grandma Hilda's advice and name them after Elvis Presley. Since they babies were born on Elvis's 75th birthday, they named the full white baby goat "Elvis" and the white with brown spots baby goat "Presley."

How high on the "Awwwww" factor is that? Too cute.

"What is the pink stuff on Elvis's mouth?" you ask. Why, it is Pepto Bismol, of course! It seems that our two doses of the pink wonder drug has helped poor Elvis with his diarrhea problem. We have not seen any more issues since last night and that is a good thing. Now if we can only get the pink off. The poor baby boy will grow up with a complex as it looks like he is wearing pink lipstick.

Elvis also has one floppy ear and one straight ear. We don't know who the papa goat is since it couldn't be our male goat (she was pregnant long before being introduced to him), so we are wondering if the papa had floppy ears. The mama, Flappy, has straight ears. Poor thing...all mismatched. It is very cute, though!

I apologize to you for not being able to see Presley very well. He is by far the shyer of the two. He always seems to be behind his brother or his mother. I have other shots of him peeking around I can share on Friday when I do the week in review.

For now I will leave you with a video that is of extremely poor quality (sorry) because it was taken with a very old digital camera that has a video function. Our good video camera's battery was dead. The video is divided up into three sections. The first section was taken on Friday just hours after they were born (Ty took the video) and the other two sections were taken today. Watch carefully at the very beginning to see Elvis trying to get his legs under him. It is so cute. So, without further ado, please say hello to Elvis and Presley:

Day 9/365- Elation

And there's a joy, a joy in all I can see.
A joy, in every possibility.
~"Joy" by Against Me

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; Lensbaby Composer lens; Manual exposure; ISO 3200; f/2.8; 1/640; no flash; auto white balance; converted to black and white in Photoshop

I was walking up from the barn tonight, muck boots crunching in the snow, and I looked up at the cloudless night sky. I gasped. It still, after almost five years, takes my breath away to be outside on a cold, crisp, winter's night and see just how many stars are actually in the night sky. Growing up in suburbia with street lights lining our streets, I never knew the meaning of true darkness until I moved to the country. There is virtually no light pollution here and it is still shocking to me after this many years.

As I was looking at the stars and appreciating the universe in all its wonder, a strong feeling of satisfaction washed over me. I realized, in that moment, that I was in need nor want of anything. It is a fleeting feeling that is as quick and as light as a baby's sigh on your cheek, but it fills a heart with a joy that far exceeds most typical happy moments. I am thankful to have had that moment tonight. I am not a "religious" person as much as I am a spiritual person, but I believe those moments are when the Creator (whatever you wish to call it), in all its goodness and light, makes it known that it lives within your soul. I will cling to the memory of that feeling as the stresses of life drown me in panic. That moment can be my mantra, my focus, my go-to place in the next few weeks as life hurls towards me and screams, "Show us what you've got."

This image from today came the closest to the feeling of elation or joy that I felt at that moment, so that is why I chose it. I love this photo on many levels, but first and foremost because it is a rare photo of my son. He is at a stage where he refuses to let me take his picture. He loathes it. I, of course, don't want to force him to pose for me if he doesn't care to. So, when we were in Home Depot (I think we live there since the beginning of construction in the basement) and I, straight-laced-no-fun-Mom, suggested to him that he get on the front of the cart and come full force at me like a crazed lunatic on crack (okay, I didn't really say that), he was happy to oblige. Any excuse to be undignified in a public store is good enough for him. See his smile? Yeah, that is all 12-year-old-boy orneriness staring at ya. I am just thankful that he didn't crash into me.

The motion blur you see here is not actually motion blur. It is, in fact, the natural distortion that comes from using a f/2.8 aperture in a Lensbaby lens. This blur is SOOC. It was in no way enhanced by Photoshop. Just thought you would like to know that ;0)

For those who care, the baby goats are doing okay. One seems completely fine and the other seems okay. I had to call the vet today because one is experiencing diarrhea and because he is so little, he can dehydrate very quickly, just like human babies. The solution? Pepto-bismol. Yes, you heard me right...the pink stuff. The vet told us to give him 1 tsp of the pink stuff twice today and hopefully that will straighten his little tummy out. Diarrhea is not normal for baby goats to have, but it is common. So, keep your fingers crossed that our pink lipped baby boy gets his solid poopies going on so we can all stop holding our breath.

The other big news is the goats have been named. We are fairly certain they are two boys, so boy names it is. However, because I am mean and like to keep you hanging on a thread, you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out their names ;0)

I hope everyone had a fabulous Saturday and you better have an amazing Sunday. Cuz I said so that's why. The Ravens are in the play-offs, so you know I will be glued to the television watching and rooting my team to victory!

Hugs to all!

Day 8/365- Twin Goats are Born!

Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect. For what has happened? A miracle. You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.
~William MacNeile Dixon

Hand held Canon EOS 5D; EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; ISO 3200; f/3.2; 1/80; manual exposure; 45mm focal length; no flash; tungsten white balance; taken approximately 3:30 PM on 1.8.10

Please help us welcome the arrival of our newest farm animals, two goat kids born today, 1.8.10 in our barn here on Nine Acres. The mama, Flappy, seems to being doing quite well and is a doting mother. The two kids, boys by our best first guess, seem to be doing well also. Keep in mind my experience with animals before moving here began and ended with the few cats I had growing up. So, my perception of "normal" is a little askew when it comes to knowing if a goat is doing well. The mother is eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, and paying attention to the babies, so I give her an A+. The babies are walking, maaaaaa-ing, suckling, and sleeping...all good things from what I hear. So, hopefully they will survive the cold night (we have a heat lamp in the barn to try to keep the temps a bit warmer than the single digits they are calling for) and all will be well.

I can't say this has been a life changing experience. Actually, I am a bit disappointed Mama Flappy didn't notify me she was in labor. Brian checked on her this morning at about 7:45 AM and besides not jumping for joy for her food, she seemed fine and dandy. My children were on a two hour delay to school this morning due to snow, so after I finally got them off to their bus stops, I headed out for a day of shopping. Now, when you live in the boonies, a day of shopping takes the whole day. It is a 40-45 minute ride to the shopping area, hours of grocery/bulk/necessity shopping, and then a 40-45 minute ride back home. So, I arrived home only minutes before Ty was home from school.

As I was putting groceries away, I explained to Ty that I had not been home all day and I had not had a chance to check on his goat yet. I instructed him to run down to the barn to check on her. He did. A few minutes later, he came crashing through the mudroom door, Jim Carey style, and screamed, "MOM! WE HAVE TWO GOATS!"

This is where I show what a brilliant mother I am. I looked as his smiling face, and reallizing that he LOVES to play tricks on people, I replied in an annoyed voice, "Ty, stop. No we don't." As he was turning to head back out the door, he called over his shoulder, "I AM SERIOUS. COME ON!"

At this point I started second guessing myself. Perhaps this was not a trick. Maybe he was serious. I mean, if he is running back down to the barn in only a jacked in 20 degree weather, than there are only two possibilites:

1. He is going to great lengths to play a joke on me. And I was NOT in the mood.
or
2. We had two baby goats.

Kicking it into high gear, I grabbed my boots and ran behind him to the barn screaming, "So help me if you are kidding you are in BIG trouble!"

He wasn't kidding.

We had two baby goats. Two perfect, cute, fuzzy baby goats.

And then I panicked. OH. MY. GOD. We had two baby goats. This is not how it was supposed to happen! She wasn't supposed to give birth while we were gone. What if she had trouble? What if she needed us? She was supposed to wait so we could watch this miracle as a family and learn something raw and rustic and natural. It was supposed to be a teachable moment for my children.

Yeah, not so much.

She dropped the kids like it was no big deal, ate the afterbirth (thank you for cleaning up after yourself, Flappy), had the babies clean and dry, and was eating like nothing ever happened.

Well now. That kinda takes the umph outta my sails.

Despite her not adhering to my game plan of how this birth would go, I was thrilled to see the new little lives, only hours (?) old exploring their new world. It made me happy.

Ladybug arrived home from school shortly there after and exploded with excitement. A phone call was made to Brian at the office telling him he was a proud farmer to two more goats. Then respective grandparents were contacted to deliver the good news. It was a joyful time.

Now the worrying begins. Will they all be ok? I hope so. I told the Ty and Ladybug not to name the babies yet for two reasons. First, they might not make it. Second, we still don't know FOR SURE the gender.

Someone (I think Grandma Hilda) suggested Elvis for a boy. After all, they were born on Elvis' 75th birthday. I think that is kinda cute. We'll see. I still haven't heard for sure from the boss (Brian) whether we are even keeping them. I can't imagine him making our kids give up the goat kids after falling in love with them, but we will see.

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Since today is the beginning of the second week for Project 365, I decided to celebrate the end of the first week. As you can see, I changed the header to show each of the pictures from the previous 7 days. The 365 to the 1st power represents the first week. Next week the banner will have these next 7 days and a 365 to the 2nd power. I like to keep my banners fresh and new.

Secondly, below I posted some more pictures from this week that I liked but did not use for Project 365. I hope you enjoy the week in review:

One more of the baby goats (doesn't it look like they are smiling for the camera? Oh, yeah. They are posing for me. We will get along just fine if they keep that up!):

Eden Mill~

New Year's Day Race at my neighbors:

A collage of a peace sign bulletin board I saw in the mall (the original is on the top right and I created the others in PS) taken with my Blackberry Tour:

Another bulletin board in the mall taken with my Blackberry Tour:

Snow and ice filled bird bath:

Mama goat two days before she gave birth (she was saying, "Get these kids outta me!"):

A Birdhouse Ty made 4 years ago. It has seen better days.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for stopping in! It is always a pleasure to have you here.