Friday, October 29, 2010




This morning...a quick picture of Asher.

In camera edit.

***

Asher is starting to make sounds.
He oohs and ahs and coos.

It is very cute.
He seems to like to have his diaper changed and likes lying flat on his back.
And he likes to look around.


A perfect two month old, in every way :o)


*****


Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be. ~ David Bly


Encourage one antoher,
Donna

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The folks at Cougar Town had no idea that we would be having windy conditions....




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so when Bobby walked out in this Halloween costume and declared,

"I'm Windy guy!"

I was blown over!!!



So clever.
So funny.


My favorite kind of Halloween costume.

Remember those ladies on Regis and Kelly who were the women on the roller coaster?
I looked for the clip of that and couldn't find it. It was hilarious!!! They won a big prize too.

My favorite costume last night at Katie's Halloween party was the boy dressed as Clay Matthews.
All you need is Packer gear and and blond wig. Easy and fun!

You betcha.

I wore the cat ears.
Everyone looks fabulous in our cat ears.
Don't ask me why.

Wish I had a picture to show you. :o)


Blogging will be sketchy as we are headed to Omaha.

Home of Matthew, Melinda, Asher and absolutely no service.


Love ya like a friend!

Donna

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

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Brooms
By
Dorothy Aldis

On stormy days
When the wind is high
Tall trees are brooms
Sweeping the sky

They swish their branches
In buckets of rain,
And swash and sweep it
Blue again
.



The Leaves


The leaves had a wonderful frolic.
They danced to the wind's loud song.
They whirled, and they floated, and scampered.
They circled and flew along.
The moon saw the little leaves dancing.
Each looked like a small brown bird.
The man in the moon smiled and listened.
And this is the song he heard.

The North Wind is calling, is calling,
And we must whirl round and round,
And then, when our dancing is ended,
We'll make a warm quilt for the ground.

Anonymous





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Autumn Wind

When autumn wind goes running
It does some magic things.
It gives the shadows dancing shoes,
It gives the bright leaves wings -
When autumn wind goes running.

It curls the bonfire's tail of smoke
And shares a little whispered joke
With cornstalks who delight to prattle,
It turns a seed pod into a rattle -
When autumn wind goes running.

~anon








okay this is random....

but I adore this scene from The Holiday.

It is eight minutes long, so don't feel obligated to watch it,
but I promise if you do you will be enchanted.

"you look like my Barbie" is a total favorite movie line of mine.

These little girls are the most precious little actresses I have ever seen.
Is it their accents or their unaffected sweetness?

I think both.

Grab a blanket, and some tea, and watch a little Holiday.

(It's the good parts version)


Have a lovely Windsday!

Donna


p.s. the color block pictures are made using Jodi's MCP Finish it actions.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

In which I get to have a voice.


Dancing with the Stars really irritated me last night.

Carrianninabba was just rude. She came down hard on many of the dancers and was insulting and unkind.

I thought many of the tangos looked choppy and I hated the costuming in general.

They were again especially unkind to Kurt Warner. I don't know what their beef is about him. I think he and Rick Fox (really hated his look last night) and Kyle and Bristol and the Hills girl are all about even.

Poor Jennifer is pushed into extremely hard choreography and she messes up.
The judges didn't say, Wow, that was challenging choreography. They just slash.

One more thing, as much as I like Lacy, I don't think she is a very good choreographer. I think it's a little unfair if you get a pro with lesser skills.

The judges have turned mean and
they are turning me off.

Carrieanninabba= 3
Len=6
Bruno=5


******


From the mixed up files of Miz Booshay


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This is a cute little neighbor of my friend Katie D.
Katie has a new camera and we were practicing out in front of her house.

This little gal came by with her momma.

We asked if we could take a few pictures.

She said sure.


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You know who.


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unedited
underexposed

It's Itchy!


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Beautiful Cindy.


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Volleyball Jones.

She's got a Volleyball Jones.

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Interesting to look at


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Peek.


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Going to school this morning.

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At home.



Today I will listen to the wind roar and tomorrow the trees will be bare.


November is near.




Encourage one another,
Donna

Monday, October 25, 2010

Sue's Risky Business pic.


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It's Sue's birthday today!

I always knew I loved her.
I never imaged she would be gone.
I miss her like crazy.
She was my funny, loving, generous, brilliant, Irish twin.

Love you.
Mean it.


My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.
~Billy Graham


Beth: I know I shall be homesick for you even in Heaven.
~L.M. Alcott



*****

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I'm going to make Katie a quilt.

These are flannels....I love the colors!
Katie adores polka dots.

Hope I remember how to quilt :o)



*****


I don't think I have shared this video on my blog...

It's Asher. One hour old.




See you soon, honey.

Love,
Your daddy's mom.


Encourage one another.
What happens matters.
Learn God's truth and pass it on.
Love you.
Mean it.

Donna

Saturday, October 23, 2010

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There is patience and there is PATIENCE.


From what I have learned from the wildlife photographers, it's all about learning the animals habits and sitting and waiting for them to show up. (Waiting with the right lens on your camera of course. A long one.)


People tell me all the time that I have patience,
but I promise you that I don't have this kind of patience.


When I am trying to get the shot with children or families I don't feel like I am being patient.

I am busy thinking and adjusting and moving and persevering.

But to sit quietly in a field and wait for a fox to appear or a hawk to come near...

Oh. That's a different thing altogether.

The waiting. It is not for me.

Just drive with me some time. You will see.


So I guess I will never be a wildlife photographer.

But I sure admire those have mastered it. I think they are a different breed.
A truly, wonderfully patient breed.



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p.s. I have also learned that pictures taken in zoos are not considered wildlife photography.
I suppose farms don't count either.



****


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And for those who asked.

Here are the stats for the silhouette pictures.


Camera Nikon D700
Exposure 1/6400 sec
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 85 mm


That is not the idea aperture but it's the one I landed on.
If the aperture had been 8 or 11 I would have gotten that cool star flare.

But it is what it is....


You meter the light in the sky. Set that up.
Bring the camera back down to your subject and shoot.

The more lighted area behind the person the better.
I had to squat and aim up at the little girls to avoid the barn behind them.



I sure hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Love ya lots,
Donna

Friday, October 22, 2010

Being a photographer is work.
But it sure is fun and challenging.

How I loved driving out to shoot this family on their farm.

Walking around on the hilly property looking for pretty light was pure bliss....

The girls were delightful and sweet and their parents were adorable and great sports to put up with me and my ideas!

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I was especially happy when I got home and saw this picture. Everyone looks wonderful!
Those cattle are very special...well...and so is the family :o)

It was about ten after five and I was all hope with this shot.
I was afraid the Scottish Highland cattle would be blown out. But instead they are fine...and they were in-between the fencing.

Woohoo!

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The sun was dipping low but I found a nice spot for some pretty pictures.

The girls were itching to go play with their horses!

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Their lovely mom wondered how they should dress....I told her..."You have great style, L., whatever you choose will be great!"


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And she did beautifully! Here color and style choices were perfect and they all looked pretty and natural!

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We were so excited to see this in the LCD screen.

Couple pictures rock!!!


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Katie loved this one of little G.

Me too.

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I adore this shot!!!

What is it about children and rocks?

I love that I had nothing to do with the hay or the pose.

"Do something with your hands." I yelled.


Man! My trip to the family farm was a blast!!! Thank you K. Fam for letting me come and take your pictures!!!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Patrick and I love watching movies.

We have been on a losing streak.

Here are the films we have seen in the last six months...
I will tell you what I thought of them. Just imagine. Patrick usually hated them more.

Since the Academy Awards we have rented movies that were nominated for best picture.

Hurt Locker- okay. won because of woman director.
Blind side- wonderful
an education- I liked the actress very much. I liked the 60's styling. Good movie.
inglorious basterds- Loved this movie. violent and twisted.
a serious man- Patrick watched while we were away. He thought it was weird.
up in the air- if you've seen one George Clooney movie, you've seen em all.
a single man- great styling. we almost turned it off.







crazy heart- wanted to love. didn't.
the kids are alright- interesting story. people making bad decisions. eh.
wanted to like it. didn't.

toy story 3- everyone liked it. I didn't like the dark side. Didn't like the baby.
despicable me- Katie and I loved it. Funny and touching.


the young victoria- loved it.
wives and daughters- loved it
coco before channel- liked it very much







My life in ruins-How could they go wrong? They did. Sadly, NOT Greekalicious.
Brothers Bloom-curious, interesting film. odd and touching.
It's complicated-Like it better second time around.
flywheel-so poorly filmed and acted. We couldn't watch it.
away we go- A vague memory. Nope.
defiance-Didn't know people hid in the woods to hide from the Nazis. Okay. Patrick liked it more than me.







she's out of my league- dirty teen comedy. I liked the main character.
500 days of summer- I really liked this movie. Love the wacky timeline and the actors were intriguing.
leap year-cute. a little off. but definitely cute.

September Issue-fascinating. wonderful. interesting.

I just looked over the top 100 movies of 2010.

I am not crazy. I haven't seen many at all and now I remember why. They look terrible.
They are not making movies for me.

And when they do make a movie I adore (Julie and Julia), the Academy totally ignores it.

We are lucky to have choices and back up plans nowadays.

We can rent and download movies any time we want. It's amazing.

Do you remember how long it took for a movie to go from the theater to the television set?
Four or five years!!! It was a long wait to see favorites.
Except for The Wizard of Oz. That we got to see once a year.
But other than that....it was a long wait.


Now any time I want, I can pop in The Family Man or Persuasion or You've Got Mail or Julia and Julia.
It's pretty sweet isn't it!?


Have you seen a movie you really loved this year?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Patrick called and asked if I wanted to go to the Ohio St. vs Wisconsin game.
He was really excited. He is a big Ohio State fan and Ohio State was ranked #1. He then said he was going to try to get three tickets so Katie could come along.

We are not used to getting a sitter for her at all and have become accustomed to bringing her with us.

We both like it that way anyway :o)

Katie and I had never been to a Wisconsin game before. We expected it to be fun and wild.

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Katie was dressed for the six o'clock kick off by 11:00am.


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I wanted to go to the mall and get some Wisconsin gear.

We bought lots of stuff for Katie.

Nothing for me.

That's okay. She wears it all very very well.


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Yes. I know that is a hockey jersey.

I like it better than the football jersey.


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We walked around the stadium and took in the sights.

The tuba's marched by....tooting a tune.


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We are ALWAYS early.

So we waited. It was a perfect night for a game.


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Once inside we found our seats. We were surrounded by really nice people. There were friendly and talked with Katie....and they watched their language.

The student section was a riot to watch. All of their little cheers and chants and motions. Too fun.

Katie loved it.


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The first play of the game was a kick off return...all the way for a Wisconsin TD.
Before we knew it Wisconsin was in the lead by 14 to 0 in the first few minutes.

It was a thrilling game.

A wild and exciting night.

Wisconsin beat #1 Ohio St. Huge thrill for the fans.

Oh! One of my favorite things to happen the whole night was when the loud speaker plays Jump Around all of the students and fans start jumping around. I looked onto the field and there were the Badger's jumping around...and even the players on Ohio's team were jumping around! They are kids after all. I was glad to see them all having fun. (Not sure the Ohio coaches were too thrilled.) But we loved it!





Actual video. You can see Ohio in the background. ha.

Axelle. This is Wisconsin college football. :o)

Craaaazzzzy!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Emma + Fall + Chicago....


It's Chicago-licious...


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College students know where the free stuff is....

Walk into Giridelli chocolate and get a free piece of chocolate.
Too bad for Katie, it was dark chocolate day.

Emma was fine with that.


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Katie and The City rockin' the bokeh.


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Emma has a lot of wonderful irons in the fire. She is just checking on her messages, while I shoot away.

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We found a little patio at the giant Whole Foods on Clayborne.

This picture is a true Katie look.

This is how she looks at me.

I love this look.


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Here is the view from Emma's apartment. She has two windows just like this.
Emma says it's like living in a tree house. I agree! I could just sit and look out these windows...well...at this time of year anyway :o)


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We got to church in time for church on Sunday morning. I loved it.

We sang the most upbeat music. The songs were mostly very old hymns but the were played with joy and ....how do you say....speed. I like speedy church music :o)


When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!


Imagine a pause and then a joyful, loud proclaiming of

Hallelujah!!! What a Savior!


Really memorable and touching! I loved it.


***

Happy Tuesday dear ones!



Encourage one another,
Donna

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Cooking with Miz Boo.


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My happy spoon is perfect for stirring in my new cast iron pot.
I have made two soups in my cluckcluck so far, but no bread yet. Here is the scoop about the bread.
It must rise for 12 hours. This means mixing the bread at night. After I clean the kitchen for dinner, I am not in the habit of starting to cook again. But I will do it. And soon. I swear. I promise. I will.


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The soup was good. Not as thick as I thought it would be. But it was tasty.
There is a ton left. I had to use my largest Tupperware container to hold it all.

I think it would be better with cheese and scallions and bacon on top.

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But what isn't better with cheese on top?



****


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Darling Ann Bell sent Katie this adorable hat.

Two weeks ago I said Katie loved orange. Ann crochets hats and thought Katie would LOVE this orange hat.
And indeed she does! It is pretty and soft and even smelled good!

Thank you Ann!! We love Katie's hat!

Just Ann


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***


This weekend brings two super fun things....


We are going to the Badger vs. Ohio St. football game! Patrick is thrilled since he loves Ohio St. and they are number one.
I'm excited to see all the colors and hear the band. Katie will just be happy to be there, I am sure.


Then tomorrow morning Katie and I are going to visit Emma in Chicago.
We are going early enough to go to church with Em. That will be so nice.

woo.

I may not post on Monday from Chicago...but I will for sure be back on Tuesday with lots of pictures and stories to tell!!


Happy, happy weekend!!

Encourage one another,
Donna