Sylvia's Simple Shots

I captured this Nuthatch near the bird feeder which is along the stairs that lead to the river valley.

As you can see in the photo there was a bit of snow coming down.

I have been busy with family commitments that last few weeks and it was so cold I was hibernating.

It has warmed up amazingly in the last week and I have been able to have a couple of outside visits with folks I have not seen in months.

I finished this book a couple weeks ago. Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan.

It is a story of reinvention of one's self after what as thought to be permanent is not.  She handled the challenges with grace and poise and won out in the end.

I found it encouraging that we can all turn a corner and see what is up ahead if we don't get too bogged down in the stuff of today.

I'm changing up my exercise routine a little bit to ensure I don't get too bored.  I have an MP3 player that I have used for pace when I walked on the thread mill.  I chose music with good rhythm and that I loved. 

I have started using that music instead of the music on the DVD.  I just mute the TV and do the movements which I have pretty much memorized the last few months.  I have been able to push myself into more than 1 mile with this music! 

The CD that I used are under the MP3 player.

I visited my sister this week.  We cooked hotdogs outside on the fire.  Love those!

She shared a cool find with me in these cones of polyester thread.  She found them second hand for a wonderful price.  I have been using cones with the holder I got for Christmas and it makes it less tedious to always be changing thread from spools. It ensures you have enough to finish a project.

This is the book I finished most recently.  Another reinventing your life book - Rise and Shine - Anna Quindlen. 

An early morning TV show host says something after an interview but is not aware that her mike is still live.   This ruins her career and she escaped to a hot tropical clime to recharge and make plans to move forward. 

Her sister is worried about her, her son is wondering where she is but he is away at college so a bit out of touch, and her husband told her that he is leaving her. 

With a break from the rat race pace of life in New York she finds a way to recover.  She is called back to New York when her son suffers an injury and she needs to step in to heal the relationship and the wrong that has been done.

 

A few goodies for the car.
 

 The USB stick holds all my favorite music which I can play in the car.

I added a wrap to the car blanket so it stays small and contained. 

I got some floor liners to protect the carpet in my car.  The are nice plastic and easily cleaned.

It was late last night when I was photographing my entry for Flickr Macro Monday.  The challenge is "Motion Blur" which means capturing movement during a long exposure.  You can see in the image on the right that I was able to capture the movement of the second hand. You can find my submission on my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics). 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #121 and

Mersad who hosts Through Me Lens #280.

Have a good week!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took the camera out this morning but the sun rose and quickly disappeared behind a very large cloud bank.  Disappointed!

At the bird feeder I did get this decent photo of a House Sparrow.   I found it interesting that they spend their time on the ground will Chickadees and Nuthatches are at the bird feeder.  I am sure the sparrows are eating seeds spilled from the feeder above.  They will sit on the rail and eat seeds there if someone provides them.

It was so gloomy it was very difficult to get a decent shot.

This is the book that has been on my night stand for the last few weeks.  The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.

There is a reading for every day of Advent.  Scripture, thoughts and questions about the subject.  

I have done a bible study on this book in past years.  I have had several of my participants from the past be in touch.  During this time it has been helpful to go over the material we covered together about 5 years ago. 

This was taken Friday when was out and about  delivering  my caramel popcorn bags to the door step of my sisters' houses. I stopped at the wetlands in Summerwood again.  It was pretty cold so I did not stay long.  I got a better shot of the skating rink created on the pond.  The chairs on the sidelines just waiting for a game of shinny to take get started. 

I have not been out much so the fact that the watch stopped working a couple of months ago was no big deal.  

I bought a battery on my big errand day a couple of weeks ago and I decided that it was time to put it in.  I totally forgot how I did it last time so I had to relearn.

I was afraid that I would not be able to close but it was fine.  I always like to have a watch when I am out and about.

 

The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday this week was Holiday Lights.  A few options were candles, tree lights, lit buildings but staying within the 3" limit.  

This one is a tealight taken against the lights on the small tree across the room. I like the focus on the wick. 

You can check out my submission on my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics).

Have a good week!

Recent Photos!

I bought tulips for my Mom and sister at Easter.

I decided that I deserved a bouquet of them myself so on the weekend I added these to my table.

I chose the same color that my Mom loved.

They were pretty closed so they will last a few days!


I finished this book this week. 

It is a very intriguing book and the tag line is what inspired me to bring it home.  "Creative Living beyond Fear"  by the same author as Eat Pray Love.  I have been struggling with the end of my card making classes and was looking to find some ways to move forward with my photography.  Basically, I took away the following: Stay Curious, Always Do Something!, When Stuck - Look in a different direction, Inspiration is always looking for a place to land so be open and accepting, Everyone is Creative, and “It`s just that inspiration comes from another world, so sometimes we have trouble understanding each other.”

I bought this watch on the weekend thinking I could adapt the bracelet for my watch. 

Well, that was not possible so I bought a battery for it but that was a bust too!

I finished my taxes today. I had to pay this year which was unusual for me so I had to learn a lot to figure out what happened! 

The research I had to do sort of fell into the lessons in the book above. 

I found these shadows this morning. I will have to learn how to photograph these better. 

This was the best composition I captured this morning. 

Love the softness of the edges.

This was an idea was generated by a book I read quite a while ago, Window Sill Art.

Again, following inspiration from the book in this post I had nothing to lose by trying something new.

I created a mosaic with my bouquet of tulips. 

I used several backgrounds and captured some nice colorful bokeh!

I remember when creating bokeh was a challenge and after a couple years of practice I can do whenever I want.

Sharing with
Angie host of Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Mersad host of Through my Lens


The challenge for Flickr Macro Monday was "Eye of the Beholder"
I took a picture of this spinning wood top.  I love this object.

You can check out my Flickr photo stream.