Monthly Archives: January 2015

4/52 – A Part of Me

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So this week, our photography project was assigned. We are to shoot “A Part of Me”. I  wasn’t prepared to shoot another part of me, since I just shot my new frames for the “light” assignment last week. So I thought about doing an expressions collage to post as my shot.

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But the more I thought about it. The more I realized the part of me that has been my obsession since childhood, is my hair. From being able to sit on it, to cut up and over my ears. I still remember those High School years and mom saying to me “I think you got a little scissor happy”. Currently I’m growing it out, but on any given day I have the urge to cut it off again.

Shot yesterday with my iPad and played with (edited) in Photoshop by adding a filter.

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I wasn’t so sure about the process on the above shot, so I applied another filter and submitted the image below as my shot of the week.

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In other news:

I was back to my first book club meeting since last July. What a joy to see the girls again and discuss our good book Delicious by Ruth Reichl. There truly is a special wonderful warm feeling in our great group of ladies.

This my friends, is the hubs jalapeño plant from last spring. This guy received no love from us this winter, but look at it! I just noticed blossoms on his plants this week. Our tomato seeds from Burpee are on the way. Oh how we love to make this place home.

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My little succulent garden is thriving and I have plans to plant a few more this spring/summer.

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A Pretty Day For a Project – So the hubs and I hand-picked a few slate pieces (extra pieces left on the property) for a little path. Tuesday, the gardener buried the slate at ground level. Then he planted ground cover (around the slate) the hubs and I picked out over the weekend. The two old lights were removed but the electric left for a future lighting project. The after picture should be coming soon.

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And here it is Thursday. I find that I’m trying to keep the washing machine and dryer busy, a little cleaning around the house is in order. And truly looking forward to the hubs getting home this evening. As I get him for the next three days, it’s his Friday off work week. It should be a fun weekend packed with work, play, relaxation and rest.

If you don’t hear from me in the next few days, just know I will be back…Soon…Promise…

Blessings – Debbie

3/52 – Light

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Light is the topic for my project, this third week of the year. So I thought I’d shed a little light on my identity crisis. It’s what I think of when getting used to a new pair of frames.

So I picked up my new prescription and new frames today. I like that they are a tad larger, providing more room for my progressives. I’m sure I’ll adjust to the new me soon.

But the story on finding a pair that I like is a bit crazy.

I already know the style of frame I like. I like as near to rectangle as you can get. I shopped several places in the area and found something I really liked. Only they were a little snug on my temple and the guy (Optician) helping me said there was nothing he could do about it. So I continued to search.

The hubs got in on the search, as he wanted to drive me on up the road a little further to a place that had a rather large supply. That husband of mine rocks my world!

Turns out, I found a pair I liked. Tried them on. But to someone who needs a prescription to see, it’s hard to know if I really like them. So I took a selfie to decide if they were for me. I thought they fit the bill. So we made the purchase and brought them home.

However, I had to have another look at them on a larger screen. So I transferred the image to my computer. I was not a big fan as I found a couple of things that bothered me. I’m so happy they let me return them. Note: I just purchased the frame without the prescription.

Back to square one. This time, I called the place where I originally fell in love with the tight pair of frames. The place where the guy said he couldn’t help me. Yes, that place. Luckily for me, I spoke with a different optician and she told me that they could adjust the frames to meet my comfort needs.

That’s all it took. I got her name and made an appointment with her to nail the frames I really liked.

And just like that, she made the adjustments necessary for a comfort fit and sent them in to the lab to have my new prescription filled.

That was just over two weeks ago. And today was the day my new frames were ready for pick-up.

In keeping with my “Light” project this week, I decided to test the waters and shed a little light on the new me.

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I’m so happy I called that first place back. The place where the guy said he couldn’t help me.And thank you so much sweet lady for loving your job enough to help customers in need of a little extra help.

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As I see it, I give the comfort level 5 stars, the larger frame 5 stars and my new prescription 5 stars. As for the identity crisis, I should be adjusted to the new me soon.

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And there you have it.

Blessings – Debbie

A Day to Remember

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What a lovely day…

It started this morning at Starbucks with my girlfriend + a beautiful morning country drive in the mountains in search for cool places to go shooting (photography) together.

Lunch was at the best Greek restaurant and we dined on the patio. Loved my salad!

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And for the afternoon, she brought me to her studio where she shot me for like 2 hours. I had fun learning about studio lighting and we both enjoyed talking shop (photography) all day.

And to think, my salad was the only shot I took. Sad…

But truly a great day to remember.

Blessings – Debbie

More Babies

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Good afternoon. It’s Monday. The third week in January. Martin Luther King Day. And a day I planned to do a bit of gardening. And gardening I did bright and early this morning.

Then the thought crossed my mind to see if I could find a few shubunkins.

So I’ve called the local fish stores (for nearly a year) in search for shubunkins. And finally, today, I nailed a place that had a tank of about 30 or so. I don’t know how to express my feelings other than sheer excitement and joy with an exclamation!

I had a little visit with the hubs via text and he said to go pick out some for the pond. At that point, I think it took me all of about 5 minutes to hit the road.

Here’s the little batch of 7 that I hand-picked. They were transferred to this little tub prior to them going into the bag.

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Here’s a couple right after we got home. They (in the bag) floated in the pond for about 20 min to acclimate slowly to the temperature of the pond. Then I released them into their new home.

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I spent the majority of the day watching these guys make friends with all the other fish. And they enjoyed the first meal in their new home.

Momma thinks the babies are doing just swimmingly.

Blessings – Debbie

A Three Day Weekend

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It’s the hubs Friday off work week. And this long weekend is just a little extra special. It’s the weekend after the long holiday, festivities and company. It’s a time we find ourselves getting back into the groove embracing our New Year. I love it!

The hubs had a few workers out to the house over the last couple of days. He’s getting a few bids on a job we would like to start this year.

We had the best date yesterday afternoon at the local plant nursery, followed with dinner and Cold-stone for our sweet tooth.

Fresh California avocados, cilantro, tomato, onion, lime juice and salt – it’s what the hubs asked if I would whip up on this glorious afternoon.

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His wish is my command and guacamole was served.

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So I got a poinsettia as a hostess gift this year. And the plant does not like me. No matter how much love I give, it’s obvious I’m doing it all wrong. I think I’ll stick with my roses that flourish.

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But the very tippy top of the poinsettia is still so bright and cheerful. After reading (online) the care that goes into keeping these beauties year after year, I think I’ll pass. Or perhaps I’ll just stick it in the ground around May and see what happens.

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As for the rest of our weekend, I think we’re booked to relax and enjoy the time together.

I hope you’re having a glorious day and weekend.

Blessings – Debbie

2/52 – Storytelling

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Wow, we are already into the second week of the New Year. The project this week is “Storytelling”.

I snapped this image yesterday in keeping with storytelling. Doesn’t it look like they’re telling stories?

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This is potentially the last few shots of me with my favorite frames. I should be getting my new frames next week. The story regarding new frames has everything to do with me needing a little larger frame such that I have more room for the progressives.

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Roses in January and new polish today. The story behind the polish. While doing a bit of food shopping, I noticed a large section of nail polish 50% off. So I came home with three new bottles.

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I’m really excited about my 52 week project this year. It has a way of helping me to focus on photography while I tell my life story on the blog.

How fitting. Who knows, I may be back with a few more stories this week.

Blessings – Debbie

1/52 – Fresh

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So I joined a project 52 group this year. Basically, we as a group take an image a week (based on the theme) and present our images.

I’m really excited to be a part of the group as I feel it will offer inspiration and the drive to get out there and shoot.

This past week, our theme was “Fresh”.

I was inspired to keep it simple and shoot something that had everything to do with the week.

“Fresh” flowers from the garden for family arriving from Alaska.

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The hubs sister and her husband from Alaska. Image shot in the rain this morning just before we said good-bye. We had a wonderful visit with them this week. Some of the highlights = Cheesecake Factory – Lunch date with the hubs (he had to work this week) – Visit to the local library – Strolls in the neighborhood – Evening visits – Farmers market – Japanese Garden – Oceanside dinner – Hike along the scenic lake and mountains – Afternoon tea at the local tea house…

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The hubs woke violently ill yesterday. And a drive to Urgent Care was necessary. After an IV laced with Zofran and 5 hours later, he was feeling much better. Fortunately, he is on the mend and not contagious at this stage.

Now I’m looking forward to a new week and a new photography project challenge. Should be fun.

Blessings – Debbie

Library

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While visiting the library, (yesterday) I couldn’t help but capture the image of this rather large photo. Is this not the perfect image in a library or what?

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And I was pretty excited to get my very own library card. Goodness knows I haven’t had a library card since I was in high school. I know, I almost hate to record this bit of info on the blog. But I’m so excited to have my very own card!

I’m so in love with the e-book feature! I had no clue you could check out books, magazines and a plethora of things to read on the kindle. I’ve already read the January publication of Prevention, Better Homes and several other magazines. And I’m excited to report that I’m already reading some books on the Kindle! Where have I been and why didn’t I know these things?

Oh the joys of discovering new things available thru the library.

Blessings – Debbie

A Simple Day

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I went to bed around 7:30 (with a splitting headache) last evening. And woke (headache free) to the aroma of this amazing goodness. Love My Love! He finished adding more spices and thickened it after this shot.

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Here it is, the first Saturday of the year and the sun has already set. Makes me wish time would stand still for just a moment longer.

As with the time, we just keep moving right along. We managed to get a few more things crossed off the list over the last couple of days. I had my eye Dr/exam this morning, found a new pair of frames (they’re a little bigger, providing a bit more room for the progressives YAY), and the hubs got a fresh haircut.

And we had the best beef stew for lunch and dinner. Boy was that yummy!

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying this brand new year.

Blessings – Debbie

Happy New Year

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I’m still here!

Whew tho, I have a lot of catching up to do over the last couple of months. So I’ll try to make it as brief as possible.

November was pretty packed, as I was learning a lot (in school) about using the paintbrush and tools in Photoshop. That’s when things began to fall off my plate. Like the blog, unfortunately.

And things were added to my plate.

I joined the girls for a day trip up to Rogers Gardens. It was great way to step away from my school work. It was the best distraction and just what I needed to kick off the Christmas season.

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After my much needed day away, it was time to refocus on school work. The image below is one of the two paintings I finished in Photoshop.

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Then Thanksgiving rolled around. We dined at the Hotel Del.

The view from our table.

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Everything was cooked to perfection.

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After dinner, we watched some ice skating beneath the blue sky and palm trees.

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And we took a selfie to remember the day.

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Then it was time to plan for our annual Christmas party. Hors d’Oeuvres, dinner, white elephant gift exchange, and a bonfire with s’mores – those were the highlights of the party. But it was our friends that made the party so special. If I remember correctly, we had 14 guests in all.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t take that many  pictures. But the Starbucks mug with gift card was a big hit.

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By this time, the month of December was in full swing. And the churn of my busy schedule kept right on churning.

We had a lot of rain and I found that to calm my nerves as I planned my next and final school project. I had to give a speech. There was a lot of planning and the hubs helped out so much with my powerpoint presentation. He’s the BEST! Then I rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed some more. Finally the day came (mid December) and I was ready to present to the class my evolution and passion for art From Crayons to Photography.

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And then, as time marched on, we only had one weekend to do our annual Christmas newsletter. I was inspired after all the rain to take an image of our ornament in a puddle. Turns out, we liked it so much that we made it our 2014 Christmas card. The only regret, we did not have a lot of time to review our newsletter and we found some type o’s. For shame!

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Finally, we got to relax while the December dust settled. And I found the time to put my nose in a book called Delicious by Ruth Reichl. What a great read!

Our dear neighbors brought the most delectable plate of homemade yumminess over on Christmas Eve. What a treat!

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Soon it was time to celebrate Christmas.

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The hubs and I, along with our friend went back to the Hotel Del for Christmas dinner.

The image below was taken on our stroll along the pacific after dinner.

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I kicked my shoes off to enjoy the soft sand between my toes.

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And to check out this sandcastle.

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A close up – it truly was a marvelous work of art, all the way around.

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Our friend came back to the house to spend the late afternoon and early evening visiting.  And we watched The Christmas Story together.

Then, the hubs and I found ourselves alone and made a mad dash for jammies!

Our Christmas picture later that evening.

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On the day after Christmas, we decided it was time to put all the decorations away for another year. It actually took 1.5 days to get everything put away, cleaned up and back to normal.

The only thing resembling Christmas, are the candy-canes tucked in the bud vase.

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I’m ready for the New Year. And ready to add more things to my plate. Like family/company coming from Alaska this weekend and the blog and other things of importance.

Until next time – Happy New Year and many blessings to you this year…

Blessings – Debbie