a prayer cross and NOT a puppy

IMG_1837, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Okay...I laugh at the commercials, but she has been BEGGING me for one of these crosses. I think they are kinda lame, but it was that or a puppy, and I can tell you right now that I am not ready for a puppy and neither is she. She is convinced she can take care of a puppy, but that would last about a week and then the job would fall on me. So, no puppy for Christmas this year, but I went ahead and got her the cross. See the look of joy on her face? It was worth it.

fun with photoshop

fun with photoshop, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I posted this on facebook and got absolutely NO reaction. Not surprised, most people are bombarded with stuff on fb so I shouldn't expect comments on every little thing I post. But I seriously thought I was being clever with this one. I realize that the tot and NOT a coney is cutting the cheese here, but there was no coney in the picture, I suppose I could have photoshopped a coney into the photo as well, but I wasn't that up to it.

Anyhow, I had fun doing it. **snicker, snicker, snort**

Merry Christmas

IMG_1773, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

My joy before bedtime Christmas Eve...I love these sweeties with every ounce of my being. I am so blessed.

finale

IMG_1359, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Went over to a dear friends home last night to take some Christmas portraits of her family. Once we were done and she was walking out to my van with me...I asked her if she wanted some photos of her house all decorated....she said "sure!", so I got the camera back out, set up the tripod and took a few shots. This one of their tree through the window is my favorite.

All dressed up...

IMG_1410, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Took the kiddos to see our favorite Santa at our favorite mall today. The mall was dead...so sad, it's a beautiful mall with a water fountain area where they used to have music festivals where you could picnic and listen to the music. There were only two food places in the food court still occupied and open, and only a hand full of stores open.

The good news was, we didn't have to wait long to see Santa. We were second (and last) in line.

i ♥ faces..."sweet dreams"

When I found out the theme for i♥faces this week, I knew exactly which photo I wanted to enter.

After attending two birthday parties, complete with pinatas and tons of screaming kids, we got home and my son exclaimed quite adamantly "I am NOT tired!". Ten minutes later, I found him on the living room sofa like this. Had to grab the camera and capture the moment.



Stop by i♥faces to see more "Sweet Dreams" entries for this week.

from a moving car...the sequel

IMG_1225, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I just had to shoot this on our drive back from Houston this past weekend...and with traffic being the way it was (bumper to bumper) I knew Ronnie wouldn't be stopping for me to get a clear shot. Anyhow, I think it turned out pretty well, considering. I love windmills, don't know why, they just seem charming and nostalgic to me, and the broken down shed had to be included as well.

a girl and her horse

IMG_0988, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

After church on Sunday, we had our annual Thanksgiving fellowship dinner. As an extra treat, the pastor's granddaughter gave the kids a ride on her horse, Keno. I shot this through the space on the cookout trailer where some awesome bbq chicken was being grilled. That's why the shot looks hazy, it's the smoke from the pits.

iHeartFaces.....Autumn Beauty

This is the look I got from my girl after a long hike through Lost Maples State Park last November, we're about to head out there again and see what the trees are doing this year. Down this far South, it's one of the few places we can go to see what Autumn is supposed to look like.



Stop by i♥faces to see more "Autumn Beauty" entries for this week.

Happy Fall

IMG_0821edit, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Nothing like a big assembly of assorted squash and gourds to get you into that fall mood.

Pumpkin Patch Portrait 09

IMG_0787, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I just barely got in under the wire this year....I took the pics on Oct 28...usually I try to get out there the first week of Oct. Anyhow, I'm glad I forced myself over there after a busy morning. To see the complete set of shots, click on the photo above.

Autumn sunset

IMG_0961, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I love the color the sky turns this time of year...I think some of the prettiest sunsets must be in the Autumn.

from a moving car

IMG_1363, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I'm posting this mostly to prove that nice photos can be taken from a moving car. Not a good idea if you are the one driving, however. I wasn't here, Ronnie was driving and I was shooting out of the drivers side window with my Canon Power Shot A560. See, a point and shoot! I set my ISO to it's lowest setting (80 I think) and turned off the flash and shot away. I had to crop out a bit of the frame from the window.

Sunday Citar

One of my favorite blogs, Fresh Mommy is the inspiration for Sunday Citar. Check out her blog to see more wonderful Sunday Citar entries.



“Waves of a serene life pass over us from time to time, like flakes of sunlight over the fields in cloudy weather.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

chiming in

IMG_0671, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I heard the wind chimes clanging around outside and decided to investigate, it turned out ot be a nice little thunderstorm churning up the wind.

We haven't had decent rain in months, and I haven't touched my camera in weeks, so I thought I'd try to get some rain shots. I kept gravitating back to the wind chimes though. I love our wind chimes, we have four sets hanging in the carport. These are by far the largest set, they have a deep low tone. My favorite.

Goes well with the thunder.

iHeartFaces.....bubbles!!!

This weeks theme at i♥faces is bubbles. I had to go back a few years for this photo. The kids were having a blast playing with the ginormous bubbles from their "jumbubbler" machine.

Look at how green the grass was, I think I'm going to cry looking at the lawn that is now brown and dead.

amphian portrait

IMG_0598, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I never knew that toads didn't like having their photos taken...until last night. Maybe it was just the flash that was spooking him, but he didn't want to sit still for anything. Fun stuff....we had rain, and got to chase a toad. What more could one ask for?

IHeartFaces....crazy, silly, funny faces

Had some fun with this entry to this weeks I ♥ faces http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ crazy, silly, funny faces contest. I'm so blessed that my kids will perform on demand for me. They're goofballs just like me.

They grow up so fast.

IMG_0584edit, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Seriously, I wish they'd slow down. I mean, I want them to grow up and become independent, productive citizens, but just not so fast.

Slow-mo please.

Evelyn's baptism

IMG_0577bw, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Almost a year after Ben's...she's wanted to come forward for several months now, but was too "bashful". I explained to her that it was nothing to be bashful about, but proud of.

She's a very happy girl today.

photo funk

IMG_7536, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Haven't been taking many pictures lately...life has been catching up with me and been giving me a bit of a beating. Anyhow...I figured I should probably post something so I dug up this picture I took in Feb while playing with my new lens.

water would be nice

water would be nice, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

It's so hot here, even the cactus-type plants are dying. Or at least thirsting. This one looks like it could use a good gallon or so of water.

lamplights

lamplights, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

The architecture in the King William area is magnificent. The historical stuff is great, but even some of the newer buildings are just cool, like these lamplights along the roof of one building. Sure makes my neighborhood look boring.

reflections of fiesta

reflections of fiesta, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

This is another shot from the photowalk last weekend. I'm still going through and editing some to see if I like them 'all fixed up'. This one is a reflection in a storefront window on St. Mary's.

iHeartFaces (feet week)

I've been wanting to participate in an i♥faces contest for a long time....this week (feet week - LOL), I'm finally doing it. Click on the link above to see more fun foot pics, and find out more about the iHeartfaces community.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk 2009

boarded up, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

I registered for this back in May (I think). It was a lot of fun. There were about 50 photographers who met up in the King William Historic District and walked around for two hours shooting whatever. This is the second annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk.

I think I'd like to do something similar in much cooler weather.

It was fun, I was pretty hot and sweaty when it was over, but I had a good time and got a bunch of cool photos. Click on the photo above to go to my flickr account and see the rest if you like.

Sunday Citar

Welcome to Sunday Citar! This blog quote meme was created by Tabitha @ FreshMommy. You can stop by her blog to see the quotes and photos that she and everyone else is loving right now.



"Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence."
~ Og Mandino

one hot little boy

IMG_9939edit, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

Outdoor wedding receptions in the middle of July, in triple-digit temperatures are tough. But it was bearable last weekend with several giant fans to help move the air around.

Here is my boy cooling off. He had a blast, even with all the sweating involved.

Oh, peacock feathers!

IMG_9876, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

This is a shot from a wedding last Saturday. Don't know why, but somebody brought the bride this peacock feather. I googled it to see if there was some sort of symbolism. Seems like some cultures consider them lucky, and some consider them VERY unlucky. I sure hope they weren't wishing doom upon the couple.

Anyhow, it was pretty and was catching a bit of the setting sun, so I thought I'd get a picture of it. It's actually one of my favorite non-people pictures of the day.

a little rain, a little sun, voila!

IMG_9422, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

“The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Star Spangled Banner...

Billy Coffey's post yesterday, the banner still waves, inspired me to post this photo I took at the base before the fireworks. I have to admit, I enlarged the moon a little to make the image a bit more dramatic. Oh, and by the way Billy....amen!

Sunday Citar

Fresh Mommy has a thing for quotes - if you'd like to join in the 'Sunday Citar' fun, click on the link above and see what it's all about!






"I often use the word "joy" when describing fireworks. It is a considered word, deliberate in choice. Not just amusement, entertainment, astonishment, but joy. Our art makes us all into children again for a while. We become one in our experience for the moment; lost in the sound and color and light. We see large forces, stronger than we could ever be, yet beautiful in their effects. Sometimes violent, sometimes restrained. Delicate beyond imagination at times, coarse and rude at others."
~Bill Withrow

before digital

bebd, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

This is one of the last photos I took with my 35mm Minolta. I love this picture. A new big brother comforting his new little sister. I don't think he's looked at her so lovingly since. LOL!

Sunday Citar

"Hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step aside we may see our life differently. Hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness."
~ Constance Barrett Sohodski

to celebrate....

IMG_7498, originally uploaded by beckeyz.

...hitting the 2,000 milestone on my blog counter, I thought I should post a photo of the kids. As much as they fight, squeal and drive me a little nuts on a daily basis, they do put up with me and my camera at any given moment. My willing victims if you will, and the lights of my life.