Gratitude

This week at Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen's Cafe` we are to celebrate our gratitude since it is the week after Thanksgiving for us. When I stop to think of ALL the things in my life that I have to be grateful for, the list always starts with my family. Last week my mother celebrated her 94th birthday, we celebrated her special day with an early Thanksgiving feast with my brothers and families all there. I had spent several days with mom but wanted to be home on Thanksgiving. My daughter knew I would be tired from traveling from mom's that week. She invited us to have dinner with all of them. I really was worn out and not looking forward to taking on another whole dinner. I am so grateful for such a kind and caring daughter. It was a wonderful dinner and a very nice day spent with them all.

The photo I have used for Texture Tuesday is from an old 35mm slide taken by my mom. This is the farm where I grew up. Not sure which winter this was but by looking at the small trees in the lane maybe our second winter. I am so grateful for growing up here. Now mind you, that was not always the case, as a teenager I really didn't like it!! We lived 20 miles from town and all of us from the farms were the "country" kids. But I must tell you that as I have grown older this place has much more importance. This old lane holds so many memories. Getting off the school bus and rushing up to the house because we could smell the fresh baked bread mom had spent the day making, we knew there were probably be some yummy cinnamon rolls too. Meeting my girlfriend after all the chores were done. I'd always say "meet me in the lane". In the summer waiting anxiously for the bookmobile to get there so we could get more books to read. So many memories.

The lane is still there of course, but the old house is not. Mom and dad built a new house after I had left home, so I grew up in this one. Several yrs. ago my uncle died and my aunt decided to move near family on the farm. This old house was torn down and her manufactured home was put in it's spot. Even though I knew it was happening, the first time I drove up the lane and the house was gone and all that was there was an empty space I had a flood of emotion. I tear up even now thinking about it. It was such an empty space in my heart. I am grateful that we have all been there for my aunt and that she is close to us.

My daughter spent many happy hours at her grandma and grandpa's playing with her cousins, I am grateful that she had that opportunity and it fills my heart with joy when I hear her talk about the wonderful times she had there.

I used two different magic scratched textures on this and Kim's latest one "Poetic" Check out ALL the amazing work over at The Cafe`. So many talented people and such a wonderful group, I am also so very very grateful to Kim for all of her generous giving. She is a wonderful teacher and just one of the sweetest women I have met. (well, not exactly met, as face to face) but in the cyber world we are all so connected that all the friends I know through Texture Tuesday I feel I have "met".

Texture Tuesday

Two Plus Two

I had a hard time trying to decide between two photos so I posted them both. The ginko leaves are processed with February Magic Edges and Extreme Grunge. Since it is an interpretation of "Two" this week I have named this one Two plus Two and I posted two images. I love ginko leaves their shape is just so fascinating and different. I know they are an ancient tree but without looking it up I don't know the history. There are a couple of them in my neighborhood and I love to watch them change in the Fall,they turn a glorious shade of gold.

This one I titled "Pears A Duex". I uses several of Kim's textures as you can see in the screen shot.
Including her wonderful new texture "Phoebe". Sounds like Kim had a wonderful time at Camp Shutter Sisters. Loved her post today about dreams. Got me to thinking, I have lots of dreams but have never really given them life by writing them down. I think that is going to be a project for me this week. Visualize what my dreams are and write them down, look at them and find ways to make them come true. I do believe that if you can dream it you can achieve it. Winter always gets me in a gray mood, it can be so gloomy and wet here in the winter and the sun is absent for days and months. I need to use this time to make my dreams come true. How about all of you, are you ready to really make it happen? Next week I will try and post my list of dreams. Head over to the Cafe to see how we used the prompt "Two" this week.
Texture Tuesday

10/31/2011 Seasons Beauty

I have been loving all the Fall color this yr. We have been on several outings to capture the color. I belong to a group called Meetup, our group is Women Learning Photography Together. It is really nice to have a group of women who are enthusiastic about going out and improving their skill and helping one another. We had an outing to the Portland OR Japanese Gardens. It is always so beautiful but this yr it seems the color is especially vibrant.  Hmmm, you are saying to yourself, this doesn't look vibrant at all it looks very pastel. Well, yes it does, but only because I wanted a very soft and romantic look for this one. I love the bold and bright colors of the leaves but there was something about Kim's texture "And Then Some" that was to be used this week, that just lended itself to softness. If I had mastered the technique of the mouse over I could show you the original but since I haven't you will have to trust me that this had bold color before I added the texture. I don't have the formula but I think I used it twice and masked the leaves to bring out some of the color. More Fall posts to come or check out my facebook page for two albums of beautiful color from the Pacific Northwest. Happy Texture Tuesday, check out all of our post using the textures so lovingly created and shared with us by Kim Klassen. 

Texture Tuesday

Season's End

I LOVE summer, and it is hard to transition to the chillier, wetter weather here in the Fall. Although I think Fall color is beautiful, it does not compare, for me, to the abundance of color in the Spring and Summer. I picked the last of the blooming daisies awhile back and set them in the garage to dry. I have seen lots of shots of dried dying flowers that I admire so I thought I would try my hand at it for a TT project. My layers are listed on the screenshot, as you can see I used 3 instead of 2 of Kim's textures. I set the daisies on the seat of the old white kitchen chair that I found at a barn sale this summer. Love that old thing. It is going to be used often.

My week spent with my mom was very draining, emotionally, physically and mentally. It is so hard to watch someone you love and who was such a strong woman all her life, lose touch with her world. She is in good health but mentally she is not understanding all the changes in her life. She doesn't understand why she has to have someone there to care for her since all this time she has been alone. Makes my heart sad, but yet I am so blessed that she is still here with us. I must tell myself to treasure each day because one day she will be gone and it will be very difficult to lose her. She has been a rock to all of us all our lives and now we have to be her rock.

Texture Tuesday
Please stop by TT and see all the beautiful art, created by all the beautiful people there.

Red

The theme this week at Texture Tuesday is "RED". I actually took this for Valentines Day but since it is certainly in the red category I decided to work on it for TT. I collect hearts of all kinds and forms, from ceramic to finding heart shaped rocks. This is an older Avon piece of Ruby glass I believe.  Here is a screenshot of what I did and the textures I used. The layer one texture is Kim's new one "And then some".






Not sure how much I will be able to comment this week, I am headed to my mom's to spend the next week taking care of her. She is 93 and though she is not in ill health she is very frail and needs someone with her to make sure she is eating and taking care of herself properly. I am sure that the "RED" eDition will be fabulous, head on over to the Cafe` and check out all the art.

Texture Tuesday