I went on an expedition yesterday afternoon with Lynn and the children.
We were looking for beautiful settings for an upcoming photoshoot.




We spotted some solid places...

And one particularly beautiful patch of flowers.

Lynn's favorite: "I think the bachelor button is the perfect flower."
and mine, the cosmos.

Wasn't Lynn clever to plant them side by side. Just as our two favorite flowers should be. :o)

if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?
~Dorothy

And since I have a captive audience....




This was 1972.

Before the women ever even dreamed they would do giants on the bars.

A more gentle time.

Certainly evidenced on the beam.

I really do like both of these routines better than the new high powered, uber difficult routines.

This next video is Nadia in 1976. A perfect ten.










I had this and many other pictures of Cathy Rigby on my bulletin board in by bedroom when I was growing up.
I loved her too ;o)


Fun memories.


****

We are headed to Appleton with Nancy's family (from the comments) to visit Amy J today.

Amy mentioned in the comments that they were feeling homesick and we can't allow THAT, now, can we!

So off we go.


What would you like to talk about while I am gone?

Oh! Here's a nosey one.....


Can you tell me about your first kiss?


There. How's that?

Have fun!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Here is another example using the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens.
I wanted to share it for two reasons.
It looks 3-D to me and the closer I look at Katie's eyes...the more I see 'I dream of Jeannie'.
(Wasn't that a goofy show.)





Do you remember Jeannie's evil dark haired twin?

Her name was Jeannie, too.

They are all named genie :o)


******







Jeannie Patchett, Paris, Vogue 1950
by Norman Parkinson

While I was googling Jeannie and her evil sister, I came upon this picture.

This truly inspires me.




*******




How about the Men's Gymnastic team? That was exciting last night wasn't it?

And Michael Phelps is a wonder. I didn't know that he struggled so as a young boy.
I think it is every parents dream to find that right thing for their child...the thing that makes
them achieve great things and overcome adversity. Perhaps that is why we love seeing it....
we wish it for our own and well, hopefully we see it happen, but it usually doesn't happen on such a huge stage and
to this degree....

But I have long wondered about that....

What is the ingredient that takes a young person from adversity to triumph?

Some people have ever advantage but can not seem to get it together.

And then there are those who overcome, who soar, who once they are on their way, are unstoppable?

I don't think this can be taught? I think it may be part of their make up.

Have you ever thought about this?


I think about it a lot.

I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.
~Michael Phelps

Encourage one another,
Donna

p.s. just to warn you...I think Haloscan is having 'one of those days'. *shakes head*

I've been painting again, with photoshop.
This is regular ole' watercolor.

If you missed the tutorial over at Ree's it is super simple.

Filter>Artistic>Watercolor.

ta da.


***

Update on the Nikkor 50mm 1.4



On Saturday, many of you commented about how much you loved this lens.
I was freaking out about it because I couldn't seem to get it to focus properly.
And I knew it wasn't me. I know how to get my auto focus camera to focus. No problem.
But things were wonky and blurry with my new tool and I was fretting.

Yesterday morning, Lisa @ quasimon wrote to ask about the lens and to say that she LOVED hers. I immediately wrote her with a plea....
" I think I have a lemon....what am I doing wrong??"

She kindly wrote back right away to say,

"Are you standing too close?"

and some other stuff....

So I grabbed Miss Katie and said we had urgent business outside on the front lawn.

She followed with her chocolate pudding and spoon.

She sat quite still, I held my breath and made sure I was four feet away.

I took ten pictures.

Came in the house to look at them.



I was happy. I was delighted. The focus was just right. The contrast was nice. The color a little warmer than my other
50mm. I love the sparkly eyes and of course the bokeh. (Blurry background)

It was working. It was not a lemon. I am so happy I do not need to return it to the store. phew.

Cause I HATE to return things. It's a phobia I have.

*Yes. We had pedicures and Katie had a mani-pedi. Her fingernails were looking pretty rough.
Aren't they nice?





Lynn and I had a nice visit at the knitting store.

Catching up on Lynn's busy month was fun, rolling this skein of Linen/Flax into a ball....was not fun.

It was a workout, I tell ya.



Proof that we did not just gab this time.

Knitting happened.


***

Our nights have turned cool here in Wisconsin. That is the very start to fall's arrival.

Which has us all thinking about school.

When does school start for you?



Encourage one another,
Donna

A day in pictures.




Old School house on HWY 1 in Iowa. Patrick stopped.


The focus area is slim. This is 1.6



Beautiful body forms. These are metal.




We shopped, got a little lost, saw some flood damage, and stopped at Starbucks.


One year anniversary picture!

My boy Matthew and his sweet wife, Melinda.


On the way home...Patrick did not stop.


I'm so glad we went...
We had fun :o)

Donna

I bought a new lens yesterday.



Saturday in August.....

Off to visit with Matthew and Melinda.

Patrick and Matthew are golfing 18 holes. It's cloudy. Hum?

Melinda has made a long list of things to do and see in Iowa City.
I wonder if the water has receded?
Maybe I will spot Greg Brown.
(Obscure musician ref.)

Better stop typing and wake Katie Gracie.


Watch the Twitter for 'fascinating' updates ;o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

080808


This post is brought to you by the number 8.





My Katie is Eight.



This clip of the winners of So You Think You Can Dance is not 8 minutes long.
And Jenni, Mary screams her wild scream...so if you are missing it....


When I was 8, I was catching caterpillars and chasing the bug-spray truck.





From what I read, that stuff was DDT! Why we are not all dying of cancer...I do not k now.



I just drove Emma to work, the clock said: 8:08





My very favorite School House Rock.










Two great athlete's that wore an eight.

And well...Yogi's is a retired NY jersey....that's pretty special.


I was very tempted to put up two 4 jerseys, but I took dear Steph's tender condition into consideration.....






And the Octave.



*********

Fill in the blanks:

When I was eight I was____________.

Our solar system has___________planets.

In 1988 I was_____________.

I can _____________in eight minutes.

Driving to ____________takes 8 hours.


Happy week-ending friends.
We are going to Iowa City to meet up with Matthew and Melinda tomorrow.
It will be great to see them!

I'll try to post something in the morning, but if I run out of time, follow our day on Twitter.
(Over on the right sidebar....under the words Twitter Talk.)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Yesterday morning, Katie and I went to the library after dropping Emma off at work. I ran back into the house to grab my camera as we were leaving because I remembered that it was Bokeh Wednesday over at Flickr and I didn't have a picture I liked well enough to post.

After returning a load of overdue children's books and picking up my copy of OUTLANDER on cd,
we headed out to the lovely library grounds.




And there I found those bubbles of bokeh that I love so well.
They make me very happy.

I will think of those bubbles and I will not think of Brett becoming a Jet.

Godspeed Brett!


*sniff*

*sniff*

*sob*





Ok, I'm back.



Little Miss Chipped Finger Nails reached right in the shot to give the Cone flower a feel.

My little buddy.



Katie is on her last three books in the Junie B. Jones series. She loves those books. They are her Henry and Ribsy.

No matter what the series of books, I am always delighted to be growing another reader.

Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.
~ Mortimer J. Adler ~


I know a few of you readers have very large libraries;
this one's for you.


It was clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other
way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of
their habitat, breeding and multiplying and clearly lacking any strong
hand to keep them down. (1963)
~ Agatha Christie ~

******

I would love to hear your thoughts on So You Think You Can Dance.
Did you vote?
Who will win?

Any one? Bueller. Bueller.



Robin and I are watching Project Runway. Anyone else?
My favorite designer was sent home last night. She was a little Audrey Hepburn a little Dali....
but the Dali didn't come thru and she was not able to create any thing that was not....a little Audrey.

But you see....I loved her Audrey-esque designs.

But not for the opening ceremonies of the YOlympics.

Why do I want to call them that....YO-lympics.

Like if they were in Brooklyn.


Now. Since we are on the subject....

Who are you cheering for at the Summer Games?

Any personal connections to any of the athletes?
I need to have some personal connections to be interested in the Summer Games!

Tell me who is interesting and fabulous?

Thanks!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Tivo is still recording Masterpiece Theater/ Janet Austen shows for me. They are on their second time thru but I will still turn one on as background noise in the afternoon

Yesterday Marianne, upon realizing Brandon's exemplary character, says the following.

“It is not what we say or feel that makes us what we are. It is what we do. Or fail to do."

The most basic lessons on character and behavior are taught with romance and grace in nearly every one of the Austen movies.

Must Sees;

Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson)
Emma (Gweneth Paltrow...Why couldn't she have an easy to spell name like Apple?)

“It is not what we say or feel that makes us what we are. It is what we do. Or fail to do."

But this quote. I love it so much.


****


About ten years ago a Pastor at a church we attended up north covered this topic from them pulpit.

He said it was an Indian saying, but my googling found it attributed to someone else.
That's okay. It's valuable no matter who said it.

"You never really find out what is inside a man until he is bumped and you see what spills out."
Carl Lundquist

Anyway, how I react under pressure comes from the abundance of my heart. When everything is going my way it’s easy to play “holy”. But, when the world spins out of control and I get blind-sided…when my “vessel” gets tipped over, what spills out? If I have an abundance of God’s spirit and word in my heart, that’s what spills out all over everybody around me. If I filled my heart with anger, impure thoughts, fear, etc. then that’s what spills out.
~Joe @worship concepts.net

I looked at myself and what was spilling out was horrid.

Looking at the list of the fruits of the spirit convinced me that I was filled with lots of gunk.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."


I did not have most of those fruits in my life at the time.

I was shocked. And dismayed.

But time, serious spiritual work and the Holy Spirit slowly brought those fine qualities back into
my soul.


I haven't had quite so rough a bump in a long time so I can't say
what kind of stuff I will spill...I hope I have grown in the right places
over the last years....but only a bump will tell, I suppose.


My latest speeding ticket says a little something about my patience and self-control.....



Have your heard this 'saying' before?

Do you find it hard to hear?



Encourage one another,
Donna

Aw! Amy in Texas had to ask me if Katie was always a good model and I had to go
looking for old pictures of her...and well....

get ready for a little Katie Overload :o)



This is one of my very favorites. We are visiting Jean on her farm and Katie was in kitty heaven.




With her big cousin. Don't they look alike. I think they do.



Yeah. Even back in the point and shoot days, Katie seemed pretty comfy in front of the camera.




Make those little ones run around and spin and jump. They like that and if you take a bunch of photos maybe one will turn out okay.



Hi Lynn!


Guess where Emma is in the picture?




Even tho the light is harsh and the picture's focus is horrid....
how I love this little girlie with the pearls and life jacket.

See! It's really not all about the perfect everything.




Our twins. A treasure, a real treasure.
Doubly Blessed.



It's about the love.

Remember this from the sidebar?
I thought this was lost forever.

My first photo host deleted all of my pictures.
So if you go back in my archives you will see lots of x's.
But I found the pictures today and I am so thankful.




Memories.....


...misty water colored memories.....



...of the way, we were.......


Aw shucks.



My advice is to take your camera with you.
Take a lot of pictures.
Make it fun for the children.
Play peek a boo.
Sneak up on them.
If you have a camera with a shutter, ask them if they can see it click.
Bribe them.


Encourage one another,
Donna

*


Ribs Anyone?




I made ribs last night. It has been at least 15 years since I made ribs.

Why, did it take me so long? They were delicious and easy!
And are so photogenic ;o)

Here is how I made them:


Pork back ribs. (Baby Back if you can find them.)
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper
One jar of your favorite sauce.



In an uncovered pot, roast/brown the seasoned (garlic salt, salt and pepper) ribs for 15 minutes @ 500 degrees.

Take them out and turn them over.

Apply barbecue sauce to ribs. (just the top side)

Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees.
Bake uncovered.

Turn once and add sauce to the other side.

Cook for 1 hr. 30 min altogether.

That's all. The only bad part is having your oven on so hot at first.
I'm a baby about turning my oven to 500 degrees.
It freaks me out a little.
Don't ask my why?
There is no reason.


******

I added the Twitter to my blog.
A couple of my favorite bloggers have been using it for a while and I have enjoyed following along
on their sites so I decided to give it a try....and I instantly feel in love with it.

I'm pretty psyched that I will be able to say 'hi' when I am away from the computer
by texting in some comments and play by play.

It's like texting to the masses.

(masses....ha ha ha)


But, if you think it is obnoxious. Look away!
Or just pretend it is not there. 'K'?



*****


Packer's Talk to follow


Our retired and now reinstated quarterback has arrived back in Green Bay.

His plane was followed from Mississippi to Wisconsin on a map like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

If it is true that he was offered 25 million not to play,
and he turned THAT down....he is one sincere country boy who loves football.

(Which I have believed all along. Many people thought this was all about money. But I think Brett is all heart.
And no doubt passionate and stubborn.)

So we will watch to see how things go at training camp today.

Will Brett win the starting position?

We are beyond fascinated with this whole story.

Bear with me :o)


Packer fans, watch the Twitter for updates.


********




Katie is not a fan of the football drama.
She'd rather be dreaming of the first day of school
and organizing her new supplies.


And being a good little model for me.




Do you have a routine?

Like the old time: Monday for laundry, Tuesday for Ironing...

I don't.

Big Surprise.




Encourage one another,
Donna

"Fairest of the months!
Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear."
- R. Combe Miller


"Let me enjoy
this late-summer day of my heart
while the leaves are still green
and I won't look so close
as to see that first tint
of pale yellow slowly creep in.
I will cease endless running
and then look to the sky
ask the sun to embrace me
and then hope she won't tell
of tomorrows less long than today.
Let me spend just this time
in the slow-cooling glow
of warm afternoon light
and I'd think
I will still have the strength
for just one more
last fling of my heart."
- John Bohrn, Late August


"What dreadful hot weather we have!
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
- Jane Austen




Oh Jane. I agree with you completely.







This is my favorite out of focus picture. Ever.


I will be very inelegant and take Katie to the pool today.
She will be so happy.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Feast


Appetizer - If you learned today you were going to die tomorrow, name three things you would do?

1. I would cry.
2. I would cry some more.
3. I would say goodbye and I love you to everyone.

Soup - What is your very first memory?

1. First day of kindergarten. I was four. My mom walked me to school.
After school, I told her that was nice. But once was enough.

Salad - Name one service you are willing to pay for and one your not.

1. I am willing to pay someone to clean my house. In face, I would pay people to
do anything around the house and yard.
I would not have a Butler, tho. We don't mind answering the door.

Main Course - Do you make your bed every day?

1. yes.

Dessert - Name the most significant thing you learned this week?

1. I learned to text. Cindy is a texting nut. So I learned how to text.


(Found @ Beacon of Hope)




And the most pressing question of the day.....


Should I teach Katie to stop talking to herself?

She does this a lot.

She likes to talk and doesn't have anyone to talk to so she is often talking to herself?

Often.

You see, I have this idea that it's kind of crazy to talk to yourself.

Is it?

Our mother mumbled things under her breath and we teased her about it.

But , I don't have the heart to tease Katie about it.

But, gee, am I letting her wander into crazy-ville by letting her gab away?



And speaking of a little crazy. I bought some new actions the other day.

I like em. Today's pictures are edited with them and yesterday's black and white of Emma was also.

They are created by Rachel Devine and are called Sesame Ellis Actions.
(She is the slim woman who just had twins. Remember that pictures. Yeah. That tiny lady's babies were both nearly seven pounds. I will never understand how THAT works.)

But anyway, she has offered her actions for the first time and I grabbed em up,
cause I'm a fool for Photoshop actions.


Now go and answer those questions!

And for those of you who watch So you think you can dance....
who will win?

I have really fallen for Twitch. This week.



Encourage one another,
Donna

A wedding and a guessing game.

We are entering a season in our lives where we will be attending more weddings.
We went many years without going to one and we are filling in the calendar already for next summer; three so far.


On Saturday evening we attended the wedding of Emily and Jon.
Emma was a bridesmaid from Emily.

It was all so lovely! The weather was perfect for the outdoor reception on the top of a local health club.

Would you like to see some pictures?

(And remember, I am not a wedding photographer.)


Emma had her makeup done at the Origins counter at the Mall.



The wedding service was inside at 4:00. Jon wrote a song for Emily and a fellow musician sang it for them as a surprise to Emily. They both cried sweet tears of love.

Oh yeah. Details. The girls put these together (I think). I know they worked on something for the tables :o)
Beautiful, aren't they?




Guess who this stunning woman is?

Don't tell if you know her in person. Let's see if anyone can place the commenter with the fabulous face?


She does this a lot!



Jon and Emily. So happy!




Long time friends. The young lady on the right is going to Moody. She will be right across the hall from Emma.
Doesn't she have great style? Love that hair!!!



The woman behind the man.

Or what to do with a picture when the groom is out of focus.

Pretend you meant it that way!




"First Dance" by Misty Edwards.

I'm loving that veil in this light.



Waiting for her daddy for the father-daughter dance.


God bless you Jon and Emily.
And God speed.

God, the best maker of all marriages, Combine your hearts into one.
William Shakespeare

What a happy and holy fashion it is that those who love one another should rest on the same pillow.
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.
~Ruth Bell Graham

Encourage one another,
Donna