"Whether is is someone by themselves, interacting with others or (this is always the best) the way they interact with their animals; the way a person expresses themselves is always so interesting. This week we are checking out expression. There are many definitions of expression and it doesn't have to be a capture of the face."
So, I captured two snapshots of Mike.
One of him working in the garage on some pewter skulls for me.
And, one of him helping me with
my apple pie crust.
A very 'serious' expression in both
pics if you ask me.
But, then I thought of these two silly kids.
My son and his girlfriend - what a cute and funny couple!
"The start of the Holiday season is coming up quickly whether we are ready or not, so before jumping in to all the hustle and bustle let's take a moment to slow down and reflect on all the joy, peace, happiness and love we already have in our life."
Wow - how on earth do I capture all the joy, peace, happiness and love that surrounds me in one photo - especially when all those I love and find joy with are spread through out the country?
Yep - a bit more challenging than it sounded when I first read this prompt last Sunday!!
Last year during this time of year I was whining to my brother-in-law (aka - Older Wiser One) one day about how rude people were during the Holiday Season and how I thought this was supposed to be the "Happiest Time of the Year!" And his response went something like this,....
"There are people who don't feel the same as you do during this time of year Shelly because maybe they've lost a loved one and they're missing them. Or maybe they can't be with the ones they love during the holidays and this makes them sad. Or, perhaps they are trying to figure out how they're going to put food on the table and they're worried there won't be enough money to feed the ones they love. Or maybe, they just don't have people around them who care about them like you do."
UGGHHHH! 'Older-Wiser-One' is such a downer sometimes! But he was right. I needed to step out of my 'bubble' and realize how lucky I was and just accept things for what they were and not expect everyone to feel the same or act the same as I was acting and feeling. (Just take things as they come and don't judge or be offended!)
So, this week I chose to "Reflect" on how lucky I am. (Truly Blessed - despite how some weeks I seem to forget this!)
And I wish those who might be feeling down or in despair the comfort and luxury of Joy, Peace, Happiness and Love as our year slides into its final weeks.
Until Next Time,
May Everyone Find Their Little Slice of Joy, Peace, Happiness and LOVE!
"Whether 'trick or treating', celebrating the spirits and souls of loved ones that have passed, or having a scream from a scare, this week take a moment to capture a spirit, spider or other spectacle of the season!"
"There are many things that can happen in a day. Let's focus on 24 hours and see what goes on during your day!"
Well, all days at the Buettner household are pretty normal (for us!) yet not one of them is actually normal, if you know what I mean.
Monday was "Fall Break Day" for our son and we had lots of thing scheduled for that day.
First, the soft water system decided to rupture last weekend and spray tons of water all over the garage, the workbench, Mike's old desk and the ceiling (good thing we know a mold guy and he knows how to clean things up - I actually moisture mapped the garage later in the week for training!!) and so Monday our new soft water unit arrived - it's pretty nice. And and I love having my soft water back (my boys hate it - they tolerate it just for me!)
Click any photo to enlarge
Then, Logan's QX4 had the air go out -again- so neither he nor the hubby were happy they had to return it to the shop but Logan "called" the convertible (Our son loves Mike's BMW - even though it's practically as old as he is and he drives it as often as possible!) and so Mike hopped in to the Q and they drove down to the car place to drop it off and then grab a bite to eat on their way home.
I heard tons of sirens no too long after they had left so I texted Logan (Mike was driving them back home) to see if they were okay. Did you know you can pick GOD up at Taco Bell? LOL!! I didn't either! :-) Auto-correct can be a hoot!
Text between Logan and me
Then there was work stuff, filling an order, afternoon tea, folding laundry, and putting things aside for when I would eventually get the time to create with Kristi Bowman's awesome component for the AJE October Component of the Month Give-a-Way that I'd been fortunate enough to win. (The reveals is on the 30th,...so plan to stop back by!)
So, just normal stuff around our house. What's a typical day look like for you?
Anything but typical, right? But it's All In A Day!
Now, hop on over to The Studio Sublime or scroll down to the bottom here and see what everyone else has going on today!
Oh, I almost forgot - TODAY I get to devour Cindy Wimmer's new and ultra-super-cool wire-work book, "The Missing Link"! (Insert dorky looking happy dance here!)
My joy for Today!
I can't tell you how excited I am to try out some of the fun links this weekend and play with my wire! (my wire feels a bit neglected because I'm usually playing with cord and pearls!) and then tonight we're having our annual neighborhood Cul-de-Sac party with our ultra-fun and cool neighbors - it's gonna be a super day!!
I think Sally's psychically linked to all of us because so many times her prompts are completely 'spot on' for what's going on in all of our lives.
There was indeed "Growth and Change" this week in the Buettner (pronounced Bittner, by the way, for those of you who have asked me recently) household.
However, since my camera either wasn't handy at the time of these changes or said subject refused to let his photo be snapped, I waited until this morning (yep, around 6:30a.m. Saturday) to snap some pics as I walked around with my sister up at her cabin (It's girl's weekend - Woo Hoo!)
Here's the low-down this week for "Growth and Change"
The addition of a licensed driver to our household = Growth (yep, the "Masked Rider" is now legal to drive alone!)
The Passing of an era hit us as we sold "Coach" (our trusty old R.V.) to make room for a third vehicle = Change (the boy's getting the hubs Z3 soon and Mike's gonna need some wheels when that happens!)
Decisions regarding the growth and direction of the various businesses we own were set into place = Change and Growth
And upon arrival at the cabin last night I was anxious to awake this morning so I could see the "change and growth" that has taken place over at Grandma Emma's just since being up here last month.
After the fire - June 2011
After the 2011 Wallow Fire destroyed the family cabin that had stood so beautifully for over 50 years, everything is now grown up and change is coming soon as "S and H" are preparing their section of land for their new cabin (yeah!!)
You can barely see where the site of the original cabin once was, but the fireplace chimney still stands tall and proud.
New Growth - August 31, 2013
There's so many new wild flowers that my sister's head is ready to explode! There's new tree growth, more birdies this year than the last, more pine cones on the ground and Mother Nature is changing and growing,....replenishing her land and rewarding those who call this place home.
New Life Springs Up!
Now, hop on over to The Studio Sublime and see what "Growth and Change" has taken place this week with everyone else!
Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Growing and Changing with the Times!
Sally suggested that this week we "Get creative with your photos. Dive into those editing programs and check out all the wonderful effects, actions, overlays and textures!"
So, I took a favorite photo and did just that.
Since I'm still very challenged with Photoshop Elements 10, the program I have, I used the free online editing program Pixlr and came up with these results:
*(click on any photo to enlarge them)
Normal - just clean edits (crop, size, sharpen)
When editing my jewelry photos, I just do clean edits and just crop, size, sharpen and at times stick a frame around them and that's it (I do the frames in Pixlr, too - or PicMonkey or ipiccy).
Overlay, Light Effects and Frame
This week's challenge was fun and allowed me to spend some time experimenting with some various overlays and textures that I hadn't used before.
Antique look, Overlay and Frame
Pretty cool effects if you ask me.
Hog Wild! Overlays, Textures, Frames - you name it. I love this one for some reason - Looks like a Hallmark Card.
This was a fun one, Sally - Thank you!
Go on over to The Studio Sublime today and check out Sally's new web design and see what all the other participants are snapped and how they've chosen to "Add Something"!
For week 31 of the Focusing on Life: 52 Photos Challenge, Sally, over at The Studio Sublime, prompted us with
"Hues of Blues"
"There are so many meanings behind the color blue, but the one that seems to be the most prevalent is that blue is a cool and calming color. This week, take time for focus on the beautiful hues of blue."
Since blue is one of my all time favorite colors, I thought this would be a snap. But I was totally wrong. I found nothing blue. At least not when I had my camera (or my phone) in hand.
So, I got creative and decided to show you what
Blue means to me,.....
Hues of Blues = Fun! The hues of blues in these beads and fibers are calming, yet fun to me. My favorite go to color. And of course, blue pearls are a signature favorite of mine !
Hues of Blues = My Soul's Love. A feeling of "I am home" comes over me, producing an awe, a calming and a peacefulness that is only satisfied when I am in the midst of the sea,...or ocean.
The Pacific Ocean from the Coast of California and the Ligurian Sea, Italy.
Hues of Blues = Universal Guidance. When we were a bit lost and I silently asked God/The Universe to show us the way to our hill top rental home in Tuscany, this little blue-eyed beauty showed us 'the road home' to the house (and to the housekeeper - his owner). It was a magical 'sign'. Especially since Siamese are my favorite and my first kitty looked just like this one!
Our Blue-Eyed Angel Guide!
And then there's the
"Hues of Blues" that Rock Your Soul!!
Okay - well, they're more widely referred to as the
Sounds of Blues
but this Kenny Wayne Shepherd instrumental,
"While We Cry"
is one of my all time favorite songs (ever!)
and I wanted to share it with you!
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - While We Cry
(You're gonna want to turn this one up!)
Enjoy!
Please hop on over to The Studio Sublime and see what "Hues of Blues" every one else has snapped this weekend.
This week, we were to capture the beauty of the sun as it glistened off the skin, sparkled and danced on the water or as it was shining on the beauty of the day.
I'm in the White Mountains of Arizona this week,...during the rainy season.
Not much sun here,....
Not much sun here,...
But, when we had a little birthday gathering at the local park during our family reunion and it was sunny for a few hours, I captured my oldest nephew as he was playing basketball.
Half in the sun, half in the shade,....the only shot I could get that really captured the sun as it touched some one.
Now, we're just waiting for the sun to come back out.
During the Annual Nutrioso BBQ (which is this weekend) it always rains with out fail, so the chance of sun is about 1%,.....not a very 'bright' forecast if you ask me!
Hop on over to The Studio Sublime and see how every one else has captured the sun this week!
Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Waiting for the Sun!
Cheers,
~Shel~
**I'm still up in the mountains (as you can tell!) on vacation for my family reunion and so again this week, I do apologize for not hopping around to many blogs or commenting as much as I normally do, but I want to spend quality time with my family and will get back to my normal routine next weekend! I will try to look at everyone's posts though - I just love seeing what everyone has captured each weekend!!***
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