Weekly Header Challenge -- Children's Toys

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Children's Toys

Chosen by Mac.

This was probably the hardest theme for me, since my boys are grown and I don't have children's toys around the house.  Plus, I went digital only six years ago, so I don't have digital images of earlier years when they had lots of toys (and I had no time to scan or take pictures of pictures!).  I had to search for quite a while before finding these images I'm sharing with you today.  Here is my header image, uncropped:

It's a little blurry, since my camera was still pretty new to me at that point.  I had the ISO at 500, which put the shutter speed at 1/20 second.  I'd definitely take this shot differently today!  Anyway, we were at a Cracker Barrel at Christmas time, and since those restaurants feature stone fireplaces and they had this one decked out in Christmas decor, I tried to take a picture.  I love the vintage metal truck!

Here are a few more toys I dug up out of the archives.

Boys will make guns with anything, and this is one made of K'nex:

A few toys, all lined up and ready for wrapping.  This particular Christmas, we chose two families for my dad's church's Angel Tree program, and we bought gifts for their children.

Below, a Teddy bear perches on a sleeping Fernando's shoulder.  This should've been my header image, but I only just found it!

That's it.  I really have to go back into my archives and keyword my older images; it would've made this week's assignment so much easier!  I'm sure I'll find some more images of toys tomorrow, as Murphy's Law goes.

Can't wait to see your images today!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge - Silver and Gold

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Silver and Gold

Chosen by me.

I'll admit I was thinking ahead to Christmas when I thought up this theme.  And boy, if I look outside right now, it sure looks like Christmas--we got about two inches of snow yesterday!!  Either way, most of the images I've chosen today are also sparkly (I think that was a weekly theme last year).  Here is my header, full image:

Treats at a 50th wedding anniversary.

Two metals--silver and gold--and lots of medals!

Lots of silver and gold in this pool at Boldt Castle, Thousand Islands, New York.

Table silver at Boldt Castle.

My mom's silver servingware at Thanksgiving.

I collect snowflake ornaments for my Christmas tree each year, so here are some glittery silver and gold samples.

And one gold-topped Christmas gift.

Now I'm getting excited about Christmas--not just from sharing these images, but this year we're going to have a Christmas tree!  Yes, it's a little thing, really, but it's rather big with me after the last year we've endured.

Although I'd love to sign off with a Merry Christmas, I really need to say

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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February Shower

I just realized I never posted these images from a wedding shower this past February.  I took pictures as a favor, and I'm so glad I did!  Although I took only a few, I'm so glad I captured the evening for this lovely young lady--who is now married!  Enjoy the pink and sweetness!!

I just love how her family and friends so richly blessed her as she began her new life with her husband!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 48

Project 2012 -- Week 48

November 25 - December 1

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share them here with you.  
If you have a project you're working on, please leave a comment 
so I can visit your blog and see what you're up to!

Winter is a time of hibernation for me; Ellie frequently takes long breaks as there isn't typically a lot to shoot. Such was the case this past week, but I did use her at the end of the week to capture a family event. Here is her work for the week. ;)

Earlier in the week, I ran outside (I did grab my jacket!) to capture this colorful sunset, complete with telephone poles and wires.  Such is a sunset in the suburbs.

[330] Back yard sunset

It's always fun to grab my 100mm macro lens and capture details of our Christmas tree.  I collect snowflakes and glass icicles, though it's mostly snowflakes.  I'd love to fill our tree with all types of snowflakes, and glass icicles glittering among the lights.

[331] Glass snowflake

Every year I purchase an ornament or two.  It's usually a snowflake ornament, and my only criterion is that it either be a snowflake, or have snowflakes on it.  Below is one of last year's finds, a metal stocking with gold glitter snowflakes.

[332] Snowflakes on stocking

Last weekend, our little extended family gathered at Target to shop for six needy kids.  My dad's church ministers to local families, and he chose six kids among two different families for us to shop for.  It is so fun to pool everyone's money and get some things these kids need, and some special things they want, at Christmastime.

After spending an hour running around the store looking for clothes, movies, books, and toys, we brought everything back to my parents' home to wrap.  Below, my mom's goose--now outfitted for the Christmas season--greeted us at the front porch.

[333] Christmas goose

These next images are from the wrapping party we shared.  Sustained by Chinese food, we set about dividing up the gifts by child, choosing wrapping paper, sharing tape and scissors, and a lot of laughter and camaraderie.

[334] Gifts of love

[335] Finishing touches

[336] Thoughts of others

This year, our extended family has decided to participate in a white elephant gift exchange instead of exchanging gifts.  We're finished shopping for this year's Christmas, but we're just beginning to look for "gifts" to share with our family on Christmas Day.  I wonder what's in those boxes labeled "Garage Sale" that are sitting in our basement...  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 5 1/29-2/4

Project 2012

Week 5 -- January 29-February 4

1.  Take pictures
2.  Share at least one--and up to seven!
(Click on the graphic above if you're interested in joining us!)

Really, I hope last week was the most boring week of this year (photographically speaking).  I had one or two good ones--y'know, those ones you're happy to shoot, or excited about capturing.  I spent a bit of time trying to find something special in the ordinary (similar to my resolution from the beginning of this year).  After meandering through my chosen photos, I've decided that there is beauty in each one.  You'll get to learn a little about me as I explain each image.  :)

My favorite photos

If you've read my blog at all, you know I love sunsets.  I'm so glad my kitchen window faces southwest.  If there's something spectacular going on in the evening sky, I'm usually there to catch it.  The below sunset was much prettier in real life, but I love the sweet dusting of color against the rich blue.

[29] Sunset in the 'burbs

I am a word freak.  I love individual words--persnickety, onomatopoeia, seesaw.  It's the sound, the spelling, the etymology.  (Sorry.)  It's natural that I love Scrabble.  Below is a shot of a game I played with my mom.

[30] Scrabble

For me, Scrabble is not about winning, or bluff-playing a nonexistent word to fake out my opponent (I can't bring myself to do that).  It's all about letters forming words, and learning new words.  Scrabble makes it challenging by forcing me to put together words so that high-point letters fall on high-point squares.  It's almost more exciting laying down one tile and scoring 50 points than laying down all seven tiles.  Almost.

[31] Letter frequency

Away with my words...  One item that I find beautiful in my home is my Tiffany tealight lamp, which I purchased at a garage sale (another fun activity).  It reflects soft colors as the flame shines through each glass piece, and I love burning candles in it.  This little lamp sits on our fireplace mantel.

[32] Tiffany tea lamp

Below shows detail on one of the lamps in our family room.  It really does look this golden when the lamp is lit!  I love how the image turned out, with its rich contrast.  It could almost be a section of an ancient spear, or part of a scepter from a prince of old.  My imagination is carried away...

[33] Lamppost detail

Blue is my favorite color.  We have a number of small round patio tables that serve as end tables in our little living spaces, but this is the only one with blue inlaid tile.

[34] Inlaid design

This last item of beauty came to me from a generous and thoughtful friend who loves to let people know when they've blessed her.  The gift came with a sincere note of thanks for my flute playing at church during communion and at other times.  I'm not an accomplished player--the simpler the tune the better--but she always thanks me for playing.  Inside the basket were design-your-own note cards, Burt's Bees lip balm, and chocolates!  She has a great memory for people's likes and dislikes, and each little gift inside proved that.

[35] A friendly gift

I felt like it was a beautiful early Valentine's gift from a special friend, and it made my week.  Also, she, like I, is a mom of four young men, so she knew I would appreciate the PINK.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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365 Project -- #358-365

This is the time in my week when I look back at the images I've captured

throughout the previous week, and choose my seven favorites.

These seven--one for each day of the week--are featured below.

December 24 - December 31


Last week was...well, it was the last week of the 365 Project!  I've stuck with it all year, though I didn't start until mid-January.  It has been a very good year for my photography; I've learned so much and never thought I'd be where I am.  Plus, there are lots of new things in store this year!

Without any fanfare, here are my last images of 2011...

I love blue, but it's so hard to find winter decor in blue.  Don't ask me why--snowflakes and snow lend themselves to blue and silver so beautifully.  I found a tablecloth (not pictured) and matching cloth napkins at a post-Christmas sale at Target one year, and they fit my blue theme perfectly.  :)

[358] Place setting

Jacob and Thomas received broomball sticks for Christmas.  Now they're desperately praying for cold weather so the skating rink will freeze.

 [359] Christmas sports

I caught this candid of Jacob with his grandma on Christmas afternoon.  Sweet.

[360] Christmas sweetness

As we were preparing for dinner, the doorbell rang and we were serenaded by this lovely family.  Helen is a dear friend, and they all are a huge blessing in our lives.  Although she's a widow, she and her family have been so bountifully generous in love and hospitality toward our family.  We're blessed to know them!

[361] Carolers

An ornament on our tree.

[362] Christmas heart

One day while Fernando was in therapy, I took advantage of the 40-degree temperatures and wandered over to my parents' neck of the woods to explore a new extension to the Naperville Riverwalk.  This area is known as Willoway Commons; it is pretty even in winter with no snow.

[363] Willoway Commons

The below is just about SOOC.  Everything was brown!  But I think it's beautiful nonetheless.

[364] Winter river

I strolled over to the bridge to capture this shot looking north up the DuPage River.  I love the reflection in the water.

[365] Scene from a bridge

So...  Happy New Year, all!  Thank you for welcoming me to your 365 Project blogs, and thank you for visiting mine!  I'm not sure what type of 365 Project I'll undertake this year, but I'll be making the decision very soon.  Please don't be a stranger!  All of God's love and blessings to you this year!!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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