Food-a-licious

Anyone who regularly visits The Bonnie 5 will know where I swiped this idea. 

(Yes, I watch a lot of Dora. Why do you ask?)

When my Dad's side of the family came to visit they brought a pineapple.
(your guess is as good as mine)

We didn't get around to eating it, though.
So once I had some time, the pineapple and I had a mini shoot...along with my newly built light box.

(big thanks to Bekkah at Through the Lens for sharing that link!)

Ok, this one has zero to do with food. I can't even think of a far-out stretch to relate it to food.
This is an oil lamp at my in-law's house. I just thought it looked cool.

Tomatoes and Grilled Cheese

These are the last of our tomatoes.
Waaaay back in October-ish we picked all the big green tomatoes off our gianormous tomato plant, which looked more like six plants. We set them on our counter and waited. There were well over 50 tomatoes, and they have slowly but surely turned that beautiful tomato red. I've been peeling, dicing and freezing them. And they are super wonderful in chili! This was the final batch.

I'm pretty happy to have all that counter space back!

I know a lot of you love tomato soup and grilled cheese, so I took a shot of my lunch one day to go with the tomatoes!

I like my grilled cheese with a little more umph than the standard version. I used home baked italian-herb bread with thick slices of sharp cheddar cheese. Mmm, mmm good!

Oldies but Goodies

Last week I told you that my hard drive is full...as in busting at the seams full. 

A lot of you suggested that I get an external hard drive, which I did! Thanks for all the suggestions. 

I was hoping to have it by now, but a few days ago I received an email telling me my item was on backorder!! Ack! 

I guess I'll also be getting a lesson in patience...

While I'm waiting for my new 'toy' to get here, I've been going through my old photos. There were some that I had completely forgotten about! Isn't it funny what sticks in your mind and what doesn't?

I've also been working on my Etsy shop. 

I've listed a bunch of new prints, finally made a banner, and freshened up my avatar. 

This is one of those forgotten shots from early this year. 

I really like the colors and abundance of bokeh, so I decided to list it in my shop.

I titled it Effervescence of Winter - quite fitting, I think!

The theme this week for Sheri's photo challenge is sight.
Although it may be a long-stretch, I'm using this photo because without my contacts or glasses, this is about the quality of my sight! My vision is terrible. And although seeing everything in bokeh is kind of pretty, it's not very practical. :)

~~~~~

This shot was also taken toward the beginning of the year. 

My son has oodles of Hot Wheels and they're all so colorful!!

This is yet another new listing in the shop: Car Show in Miniature.

~~~~~

And here's one more from the beginning of this year.
My husband had gone to a food show for work and came home with a bouquet of gerbera daisies...just in time for our anniversary!

The title for this shot isn't near as clever as the above two: Daisy in Sepia.

Wednesday Potpourri

Last Wednesday we left to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family.
We drove through fog for the entire 4 hour trip.
While it didn't make for excellent driving, it did make for some neat shots and scenery!

This little guy lives in the oak tree in our backyard.
He and his family often come up to our deck to sun themselves.
...and occasionally bury nuts in our patio cushions.







Seth and I had a rare treat while in Iowa: a date!
No kids, no car seats, no pressure to be home at a certain time - it was bliss!
On the way there, I looked out my window to see the above. I thought it was beautiful and wanted to share!

We saw the new Harry Potter movie on our date. It was great!

This one is from the archives. 
When I saw that this week's theme/prompt was tire, I immediately thought of this shot. 

One recent evening while bagging the remaining leaves in our front yard, I looked up to see this small plane flying overhead. Thankfully I've become one of those crazy people who carries my camera with me everywhere. Even to bag leaves. I especially love that you can see the propeller!

Weekend at a Wedding

This is the church where my BIL (and now SIL!) got married two weekends ago.

It's a 12th century church that was relocated from London to Fulton, Missouri of all places.

And it. Was. Gorgeous.

Underneath this church is the Winston Churchill Museum, which was incredibly gigantic and interesting to walk through. 

This was a mirror that was hanging on a wall in "Winston Churchill's office" at the museum. 

In a way, it reminded me of The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyke.

Oh, and that's my husband and daughter in the reflection!

This was a centerpiece at the reception.

The reception hall was attached to a house, where we and several other families stayed, which was incredibly convenient...although a bit unusual.

So, I was able to go out early the next morning and shoot the flowers in peace and quiet in the bright morning light. 

Next Stop, San Antonio

...one last drink before heading south...

I love the depth and pattern in this duck's feathers!
I imagine she's already packed and headed for warmer skies.

Barn Beautiful

This technically isn't a barn.
It's a lodge you can rent for events, it just looks like a barn.
Nonetheless, it is a beautiful building!

There are many nooks and crannies and big beautiful windows everywhere.

And the views are amazingly colorful right now.

I wish I would have taken a shot of the floor to ceiling windows that are between each lantern, because they're actually garage doors! 

They even open to allow the indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces to become one. There's a patio beneath the lanterns, which overlooks a beautiful wooded trail. 

This one is from a completely different place, but still in keeping with the barn theme.

The Cutest Kids I Know

I've decided that I officially suck at converting photos into black and white. They are all so flat and never POP and generally don't really look very good.

What am I doing wrong?!
Don't worry about sugar coating it - just give it to me straight.
Thanks.