Day 176/365- The New Hat

Ladybug is getting to the age

where she is finally getting interested

in wardrobe and accessories.

Until about mid-year 5th grade

she could have cared less 

if she went to school in her pajamas.

The other day we went

to the mall to do some

birthday shopping for three of her friends.

While we were there she fell

in love with this hat.

She HAD to have it.

It just so happened to cost

the same amount as her bi-weekly allowance

and so she bought it.

She has worn it everyday since.

This image was taken in my bedroom

using flat evening lighting coming in

through my window.

You can actually see the window in 

her eyes.

I will be answering questions 

readers have left for me in the comment

section of yesterday's post.

If you have a question,

photography or otherwise, 

I would be happy to answer it.

Today is your last chance before I 

post the answers!

Hugs to all ;0)

Day 175/365- Dreaming of Salvador Dali

I had a lot of fun with this one.

Busy day today...lots of running.

Will stop in soon to see all of you.

I am so thankful for all the visits

here recently.

Welcome to all of the new faces

and to all of my old friends...

you mean a lot to me!

Thanks for your continued visits.

Today is a good day to leave

any questions you may have for me,

photography or otherwise,

in the comments.

I would love to do an upcoming post with

all of the answers.

Hugs,

Tracey

Day 174/365- Miss Muffet's Nemesis

Does anyone know what kind of spider this fella is?

Speaking of icky creatures,

Brian found out this weekend that 

he has Lyme's disease.

About two weeks ago

he was bitten by a deer tick,

much smaller than the dog tick I photographed here,

and he didn't realize it until two days later.

He kept an eye on the spot,

looking for any signs of a bulls-eye

showing up and sure enough,

he developed one.

He was lucky he caught it early

and he is now on antibiotics

before he even developed any symptoms

associated with the disease.

The antibiotics are not pleasant...

you have to take them for 28 days 

and they have a host of side effects.

However, those unpleasantries are nothing

compared to the neurological illness 

that can occur from the disease.

I am just thankful he caught it.

Please pray for rain for us.

Usually in Maryland we do have quite

a dry summer, but not until mid July or August.

We haven't had any rain to write home about

since the beginning of June

and our grass is dying quickly.

We depend on the grass to feed our animals.

In addition, we have well water,

so we depend on the ground water levels to 

remain high for our daily water use.

It is going to be a long summer if we don't get 

the rain we need.

Have a wonderful Monday, all!

Day 173/365- Picking Clover

How lucky am I 

that I got a whole handful

of white clover flowers as a present?

The luckiest.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Cheers,

Tracey

Day 172/365- Box of Treasures

I love little boxes and baskets

to hold all of my treasures.

I don't have many treasures...

I don't like to keep too much stuff.

I actually have more boxes to hold things

than I do things to go in them!

This beautiful box was 

given to me by one of my dearest friends

back when it was my birthday or Christmas.

I love it.

I was waiting for the right occasion to use

it as a small handbag.

I finally had the occasion when I 

accompanied Brian to a work function 

the other night.

I needed something for

my phone,

my keys,

and my lipstick.

This was the perfect and fashionable solution.

Ladybug just looked at it and

rolled her big hazel eyes at me

like I was the fashion embarrassment

of the year.

I didn't care.

I used it anyway and was glad I did.

Happy Saturday to all!

Tracey

Day 171/365- Greeting Dawn

A hummingbird getting ready to take off for the feeder after inspecting it from this perch

I am so happy it is Friday.

Did this week seem to go 

really, really fast

or is it just me?

I guess we were so busy that 

it just flew by.

Our illness slowed things down a bit

but it just made the next day 

rushed to catch up on 

what had fallen behind.

I am wishing for all of you 

to have a glorious weekend

full of sunshine and laughter.

Or rain and laughter

if you live near us...

we need rain desperately.

Hugs,

Tracey

P.S.  I took about 60 images in the continuous

shooting mode in order to capture this one image.

(These little buggers are FAST!)

I hid behind the porch railing and

shot through the rails from below.

It took about 45 minutes and several visits 

from two different hummingbirds.

Thank goodness for digital!

Day 170/365- Boring Job

Volunteers from the Boring, Maryland Fire Company

This past Saturday night

Brian and I took the kids to see

a demolition derby short track race

held at Arcadia, Maryland.

Brian told me this is what he wanted

to do for Father's Day weekend,

so of course we had to go.

We packed lots of food, drink, and spray bottles

(it was horribly hot)

and headed out to to the track.

We had a ton of fun watching 

all of the cars beat and bang each other.

I did get some fun pictures

of the beating and banging.

I even got a picture of a two roll overs

but this image was my favorite.

It was taken in between heats 

and the fire crew that is there for safety

was talking about something

amongst themselves.

I liked that there were three of them

and that you could see the firetruck

in the distance.

*****************

I am feeling a little bit better today, although

I am going to hang around the house again

and take it easy.

Ladybug is doing much better.

Leave it to the young ones to bounce back

so quickly ;0)

Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone yesterday.

I want to mention that 

I am giving away one of my 

fine art prints for free

but you have to be a fan of Nine Acres Designs

on Facebook to enter. 

If you have a Facebook account, 

visit Nine Acres Designs,

click the "like" button

and then tell me which 

print from the gallery you like the best.

I will draw a winner on Friday.

Oh, and by the way,

only one person has entered so far

so your chances are really good ;0)

Day 169/365- Summer Memories

Hello all.

I am not feeling well today.

I feel like I have some form of a summer flu.

Ladybug woke me at 3:45 AM

to tell me she was sick 

and when I got up to help her

I realized I was sick.

No fun, for sure.

Sorry I am short on words today,

but maybe by this afternoon I will 

be feeling a bit better and 

can sit long enough to cruise around

and visit all of you.

Hugs,

Tracey

Day 168/365- Yard Limit

Muddy Creek Forks, Pennsylvania

I love this little spot

in Pennsylvania.

I happen to pass here about once a week

in my travels and it is

like getting transported back in time.

Visit Nine Acres Designs to grab this free texture

***************

I am taking Ty to get his braces today

and I have mixed feelings about it.

I know he should get them,

but I feel terrible making him

do something that will hurt him

and make him uncomfortable for the next

18 months to two years.

All of you moms out there know 

what I am talking about.

You just don't want to see

your children hurting.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hugs,

Tracey

Day 167/365- The Only Real Equality

The only real equality is in the cemetery.  ~German Proverb

Equality.

It is a funny word, for sure.

The definition of equality is:

the state of having the same quantity, measure, or value as another.

The only issue is who is

is doing the judging?

Who is saying that B is equal to C?

Equality is such subjective concept. 

No one knows that better than

a parent.

No matter how hard you try,

siblings always can find

reasons to complain that things are not equal.

I was at a neighbor's house yesterday

for a cookout.

I was listening to my friend's father

talk about his grandkids and his story

about equality

struck my funny bone.

He said:

I took my grandkids to the pool

near my apartment one time.

They got hungry so I gave them

each a dollar for the vending machine

and told them to buy what they wanted.

One came back with two treats that cost 50 cents each

and the other two came back with only one treat each

that cost one dollar.

When the girls saw their brother had two treats

they said it was not equal.

So, I gave them each another dollar

to buy a second snack, 

but when they returned

their brother complained that 

it wasn't fair that his sisters had 

two dollars worth of treats and

he only had one dollar. 

So, I gave him another dollar.

Before I knew it,

I had spent $20.00 at the vending machine

and it still was not equal.

I often tell my own children

that things aren't always equal,

but I will always try to be fair.

I think that is a good compromise ;0)

Happy Monday everyone!

Day 166/365- Little Umbrellas

I couldn't resist grabbing the macro

and capturing these cute teeny tiny

mushrooms

early one morning.

I am glad I captured them when I did,

before the sun came around

and beat down on them

because just 30 minutes later

they were wilted and gone

from the summer heat.

A good lesson to learn...

seize the moment.

Happy Father's Day to all of

the father's out there.

I am blessed that my husband

is such a wonderful father not only

to our biological children

but also to our foster children.

Thank you, Brian,

for all that you do for us.

And a special Happy Father's Day

to my father who is always there for me

and my father-in-law 

who accepted me, crazy as I am,

into his family so many years ago.

Love you all!

Day 165/365- Weeping Willow

Weeping Willow Tree-  One of my favorites

Only 200 more days left

in my 365 Project.

Not quite half way there.

It seems like I have been doing this forever

and it feels like it will never end

but I am glad I took 

on the challenge and I 

am surprised I have made it 

this far.

I am a bit proud of myself,

which is unusual for me.

I am almost always too tough on myself.

**************

While this is by no means

an amazing image,

it holds a lot of meaning for me.

Growing up I had two

weeping willow trees in my back yard.

My older brother claimed the biggest one as his own

and I had the smaller one for myself.

I loved those trees.

The branches were low enough

that I could climb high in the sky

and find a resting spot...

snuggled next to the trunk of the tree.

It was a great hiding spot,

or reading nook.

The slightest breeze would make

the long branches shuffle 

and the leaves made a divine

shuffling sound.

It was so soothing to me.

One thing I hated about those trees 

was when  the leaves turned yellow 

and fell off in the fall.

My brother and I had to help rake and pick up 

all of the tiny oblong leaves.

Ugh.

I hated raking those things.

Also, the branches were not 

the strongest in the world so 

after most of the frequent summer storms

here in Maryland,

we would have to pick up 

all of the sticks and branches that

had fallen.

Again, I was not a fan of outdoor work 

at the time.

Now I would take outside work 

over inside work any day.

Funny how things change.

Unfortunately, my father had to cut down

both of the weeping willow trees.

I can't remember why,

but I do remember being very sad that 

it was the end of "my tree."

Now every time I see a weeping willow,

I am immediately transported back

to my childhood home.

I can close my eyes and pretend to

 climb it,

find the perfect branch,

snuggle next to the trunk

and smile.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

xoxo

(P.S.  I posted a free texture over at Nine Acres Designs if you like that kind of thing.)

Day 164/365- Memory

This is how I envision what a happy memory looks like...a bright flower mixed with words just on the tip of your tongue

TGIF!

Happy Friday friends...

I hope you have some great plans 

for the weekend.

We will be busy and we

might be in some places that 

will allow me some 

great photo ops...

we'll have to see what happens.

Just wanted to let you all know that

I just started a Facebook page

for my company,

Nine Acres Designs,

and would appreciate anyone who

has a Facebook account to 

visit and click the "Like" button.

Yes, this is shameless self promotion.

Despite this being a low tactic to increase traffic to the site,

I am thanking you by offering 

coupons, incentives, and give-aways

for those Facebook fans 

over the next few weeks!

Also, I have several new customizable greeting cards available.

And Waterfall at Eden is now available for purchase.

Have an amazing weekend!

Day 163/365- Stormy Year at Camden Yards

Orioles vs. Mets @ Camden Yards- Baltimore, MD

Or should I say a stormy DECADE

at the stadium where the Orioles play?

Every year I get my hopes up that

our hometown team will get it together

and actually win some games.

It just seems that the 

former glory days are gone forever.

Despite their losing record,

Brian, the kids and I headed out to 

Camden Yards

to root on our team.

We were blessed to have tickets

to one of the behind home plate suites,

thanks to friends of ours,

that gave us a bird's eye view

of the game.

We were spoiled with delicious food

and had great company

to keep the mood light

as the Orioles managed

to botch up the game and

lose once again.

Thanks, Leo and Marcy

for inviting us.

We had a great time!

Hugs to everyone,

Tracey

Day 162/365- Clematis

Clematis in my garden

Today is a cool, rainy day

here on These Nine Acres.

I've been working all morning

and just took a lunch break to

bake muffins with Ladybug.

Times like these are so precious.

It is nice that they are old

enough to entertain themselves while I work

but that I am blessed enough

to be my own boss and take

the time to do little things with them

like bake muffins in the middle of the day.

***************

I used the same texture on this image

as I did on this one.

Some of you asked where I get my textures

and I thought I would share

a Flickr set with you

that allows personal and commercial 

use of the textures.

I typically make my own textures

which I offer to you for free,

and I sometimes start by 

combining and manipulating 

copyright free textures that already exist.

Have a good one!

Day 161/365- Friends

Ladybug and her lesson horse

I've been thinking about how quickly

my children are growing up.

I now officially have two

middle school kids.

One is a teen,

the other is a tween.

I am so proud of both of them.

They are growing up to be such

amazing people.

They both did very well on 

their final report cards

and it makes this

momma very happy.

I am looking forward to spending 

this summer with them.

The time passes so quickly.

Have an amazing Wednesday, everyone!

Day 160/365- The Path Home

Train ride to the Orlando Airport Terminals

This is the last of the Project 365

images taken in Orlando.

Of course I have more images to share with you

but I have not had time to edit them yet.

At the airport in Orlando

you have to take a train

to the terminals once you get through security.

Lucky for me, we were the first people in the first car

of the train

so I had an unobstructed view of the tracks

leading our way home.

I was struck by all of the lines this image created

and I liked the impact better when it was

changed to black and white.

This was taken on my Blackberry phone

as the G11 was deep inside my carry-on bag

and I didn't have immediate access to it.

It was the only image I took all day,

so it was the one and only choice

for Project 365!

*******************

Today is the last day of school

for my kids and I am so relieved.

No more homework to nag about,

no more rushing in the morning.

I am so looking forward to this 

slow down in life right now.

We need it.

Thanks for all of your continuing support

that you give me daily here on These Nine Acres.

I am thankful for it everyday and it does not go unnoticed.

Love ya,

Tracey

Day 159/365- Ribbit

The cutest frog ever

On the last full day on our 

Orlando vacation,

the kids and I went to

Sea World.

We had a chance to feed the dolphins,

pet the dolphins,

touch manta rays,

ride the rides,

and see almost all of the shows.

Poor Brian was working again.

This cutie was in the frog exhibit

and I couldn't resist his big eyes.

I have no idea what type of frog he was,

but I wanted to take him home.

You know, to add to the zoo we already have ;0)

This image was taken with the G11

and the frog was behind glass.

I disabled the flash so there would 

not be a rebound glare off the

exhibit glass.

That is a good tip to remember

the next time you go to a 

place with glass enclosures!

I put the camera in macro mode,

placed the camera lens almost touching the glass,

set the exposure and viola!

I hope you are having a wonderful

beginning to the work week.

Hugs,

Tracey

Day 158/365- J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes

J.W. Marriott- Grande Lakes  Orlando, Florida

After a few hectic and hot 

days at the theme parks,

we had to move to a different resort

on Sunday night.

Brian had business meetings for the next

2 and 1/2 days, so we jumped in a cab

and moved ourselves to the

Grande Lakes Ritz Carlton

in Orlando...about 10 miles away.

The Ritz and the J.W. Marriott share

the same resort property 

and the guests at either one

can use both facilities.

While Brian was working, the kids and I 

spent the day next door at the

J.W. Marriott's lazy river.

It was so quiet, peaceful, and cool

compared to the three days prior.

The kids stayed in the water all 

day while I lounged and 

did crossword and number puzzles,

caught up on my magazine reading,

and ordered a poolside lunch.

Life is rough ;0)

Day 157/365- Lunch

Ladybug getting eaten at Disney's Epcot- Taken with the G11

On our first full day at 

Disney

we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

I had never been there before

and we had a blast

taking a back lot tour and 

seeing all of the attractions

from Disney's movies.

Brian and I were chosen

to act in a "movie" in front 

of a crowd.

I am sure my agent's phone

is now ringing off the hook

from Hollywood directors looking to hire us. :0p

I will share some pictures

the kids took of us doing that

some time soon.

They did a good job of recording the event for us!

Our second full day in Florida
we went to Epcot.
We had so much fun being astronauts,
hand gliding, and exploring the exhibits.
Okay, the first two were simulators,
but they were so cool we felt like
we were really on a space ship
and a hand glider.

Also, Ladybug barely escaped 

getting eaten for lunch

by Bruce, the shark
when we explored
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
exhibit.

We were able to 

rescue her, though...

just in the nick of time.

I hope everyone is having

a fabulous weekend!

We are headed to the

Orioles vs. Mets game tonight.

We are lucky enough to 

have a private suite

from which to watch the game,

thanks to our friends, 

Leo and Marcy.

Till tomorrow all of my dear friends,

xoxo

Day 156/365- Disney's Boardwalk

Disney's Boardwalk with Shuttle Boat

Many of you have been asking 

how I like my new camera.

The truthful answer is 

that it is an amazing point and shoot

but it can't replace my 5D.

In all fairness, I still have a lot 

to learn about the controls

and limitations of the G11,

but even in auto, it produces a very nice picture.

This image was taken on vacation with

the G11.

The sky was amazing one night

when we took the boat from

Disney's Beach Club Resort

to Disney's Boardwalk.

We had dinner there and then

walked around with the kids,

stopping in to the arcade for a few games.

While the kids were playing, 

I took a stroll outside and

grabbed a few shots.

This was one of them.

I can share more with you in the future,

but for now in the craziness that is my life

this one will have to do.

I am burning 30 DVDs for the 5th graders

in my daughter's class for an 

end of the year memento.

There are about 400 images

spanning their kindergarten through 5th grade years.

It is such a small class

that I was able to do this for them

along with some help from my friend.

The kids have two days left of school

and they will be packed with emotion.

It is Ladybug's last year in elementary school

and next year it will Ty's last year

of middle school.

My babies aren't babies anymore.

*sniff*

Have a fabulous weekend!

Day 155/365- The Bird is On the Wing

or in this case...

the plane is on the wing.

Or the wing is on the plane.

This image was also taken with my Blackberry 

and you may recognize it from an earlier post.

I just cleaned it up and named it my 

Day 155 because I am strangely drawn

to the lines and colors.

I am happy to report I didn't

make a fool of myself on the plane.

I was a bit nervous, but with the help

of Ativan, I was able to control

my fear of flying quite well.

Thank goodness.

I would have embarrassed my poor kids

and my husband

if I was a blubbering fool.

This was the first flight for both of my kids.

Ladybug was a bit nervous, 

but once we were off the ground

she was good to go.

She was afraid of the unknown more than

anything, I think.

Ty acted like a seasoned flier and didn't let on

that he too was a bit nervous.

 I chalk that up to be him being a cool 13 year old boy

who can't allow himself to show his emotions.

Brian loves to fly...

so no worries there.

Going to Orlando there was a bit of turbulence

but the flight home was the most calm,

beautiful flight I have ever had.

Smooth as a baby's bottom.

Both flights were on time

and we actually landed EARLY coming home.

I don't think that has ever happened before.

Thanks to all my Facebook and blog peeps

who were sending prayers and safe travel thoughts our way.

They obviously worked.

You all rock.

More Project 365 to come...

Day 154/365- Love Nips

Taken at a riding stable in Pennsylvania

I am trying to catch up with my Project 365 

since we were away all week.

This image was taken with my camera phone

the evening before we left.

I went to pick up Ladybug at riding

and I realized I had not touched

my camera all day...packing and such.

So, I grabbed my cell phone and 

snapped these two cuties.

Not my favorite picture by far,

but I knew there would be days like this.

Some days it is just survival...

Hello to all the new faces that have been

stopping in and saying hello.

It is a pleasure to have you here

and you are welcome here at

These Nine Acres

anytime.

xoxo

Trip to Deep Creek Part Two

While I am downloading and organizing 

the photos for my Project 365 from the past week, 

I thought I would post some additional photos 

from my mother/son weekend with Ty a while back.

I hope you enjoy them!

Ty takes a picture of me jumping puddles!

Puddle jumping should totally be a sport.  Ty scores a 10 for free stylin' here!

My son has this need to jump and grab vegetation.  I can't explain it.

Red spotted newt again...

Who says weeds can't be beautiful?

Wet dandelions make for a beautiful picture. Converted to a painting in PS.

Wet grass...it rained all weekend!

Another creature we found hiding in the grass

Ty's new friend

I loved the look of the sky in the evening...a rare break in the rain

A teeny tiny flower changing into a drawing.

A view of the historical train station in Oakland, MD

A different perspective of the train station

A walking bridge after the rain

I cute shop we passed...I think I will add this to my "Resting Places" collection

Storm clouds moving in at dusk

The trains still go through Oakland and these are active rails

 

I hope you've enjoyed this addition glimpse

into the weekend Ty and shared.

I will have some more from our second day there

coming up here soon.

Hugs,

Tracey

Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Hey you all.

We are home and safe,

not to mention exhausted.

It will take me a few days

to sort through the pictures

and get back on track here

at These Nine Acres.

I can't wait to see what all of you

have been up to!

Off to bed now...

xoxo

It Is Hot Here in Florida

It's hot.
Holy steaming sunshine, Batman! I don't know how all of you Floridians live here year round.

Despite the heat we are still having a great time here in Orlando. The Ritz is a wonderful resort and we are taking full advantage of the amenities. Particularly the lazy river ;o)

Today the kids and I will spend the day at Sea World. We heard last night that sadly a Momma whale and her calf died during childbirth the other day. I have mixed feelings about keeping animals captive but this is not the time or place for that discussion.

We come home tomorrow night. Give me a few days to recover and get back on my schedule and I will be around to see everyone! Miss you!
Sent from Tracey's Blackberry

Ladybug Turns Eleven

Today is my beautiful daughter's 11th birthday. I can't believe what a lovely young lady she is turning out to be. She was very lucky to spend the day here at Disney. To say she was treated like a queen is an understatement!

We are starting the second half of our trip off the Disney resort. We are staying at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, just a few miles from Sea World and Discovery Cove. Brian has business meetings here so the kids and I will play for a few days while he works. Poor guy :o(

I am having a great time with my family, but I miss the routine of home. I am such a homebody! I hope all is well with all of you.

Hugs and sunshine from Florida!
Sent from Tracey's Blackberry

Arriving in Orlando

Our trip to Orlando was not without its worries today. It started off well when we broke the surprise to the kids in the car on the way to the airport. Ladybug's jaw hung open like she was catching flies. It was a fantastic moment of excitement and disbelief.

Then we hit traffic. Interstate 83 down to one lane. Then the same thing happened on I695. Time was ticking away and when you check bags, you have to arrive at least an hour ahead.

We finally made it to the airport with a few minutes to spare. It was a close call but we made it. Ladybug was very nervous about her first flight. Ty acted as cool as a cucumber and didn't want to show how nervous he was. Once we were off the ground they both did great despite some horrible turbulence. I took my Ativan and did fine.

We arrived in Orlando and grabbed a bus to our resort, Disney Beach Club. It is beautiful here and filled with tons of fun things to do. We could stay here on resort property for a whole week and be just fine. We arrived about dinner time so we hit an old fashioned burger and shake shop and then spent the rest of the time playing in the arcade and swimming in the pool.

It is past midnight now and we are all tired. Tomorrow will be filled with Disney theme parks.

Thanks for all the well wishes for our safe travels.

Till the next time I get a chance...
Sent from Tracey's Blackberry