L is for...

Lorelei!

My beautiful firstborn daughter. A very abbreviated trip through the last few years.

 This is a very picture heavy post. Also, if you're curious about how I did my kaleidoscope pics from yesterday's post, the info on that is at the bottom of the page so if you're interested in that and don't care about pictures of my daughter.. just scroll on down.

Here she is, fresh and brand new-- taken with my camera phone while I was still stuck in bed postpartum.

Two or three months old--- we think the kitten is the same age as she is.

(the first two are pre-dSLR purchase)

Just scooting---

At the park, loving the swing

threatening other kids with sticks -- ok not really, she just loves sticks (13 months)

Digging in our neighbor's garden

Refusing to wear her swimsuit

and goofing off with dandelions

And as a follow up to yesterday's post-----

Since I've been asked how I did the kaleidoscope pictures... I used photoshop and this tutorial here: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-create-kaleidoscope-patterns-from-your-photos

Then, for the first one, I made three of the patterns and shrank one and put it in the middle (there was a ton of empty space in the middle) and blew one up to 200% and put it behind the middle one (to get the square shape)

The second one I blew a layer up to 200% and liked it enough that I left it at that

The third and fourth ones I did the layer at 200% behind the main image.

Let me know if you have any questions about that.

K is for...

Kaleidescope

I've seen pictures manipulated to get that kaleidescope look about them before.. so the challenge seemed like a good excuse to play a little.

Here's my first attempt.
Sort of neat, but I can do better.

Here are the other two

The last one is a double whammy of K's.. Kids and Kaleidescope.

Oh  no, these are addictive! I added this one tonight

J is for...

Jewelry

June

James

Juggalo (hahahaha... if you don't know, don't ask...)

Jellybeans

Jeans

Junk

hey.. maybe I'll

Jump

So, one of my big reasons for doing the challenge was to motivate myself to try some things I have been meaning to try for a while. Fun jumping pictures was one of them. Turns out that I tend to look completely doofy when I jump though, and have trouble not having a look of extreme concentration on my face at all times. Hah.

But hey, I jumped. Here's the evidence.

Fun times!

I is for...

Ivy!

My beautiful second daughter.

She just turned one recently

She was a  month early and only 5 pounds when newborn

... and at 6 months.
Oh, that thing on her face? That looks like a huge blood blister? That's called a Hemangioma, or strawberry mark. Thanks to much internet research and hunting down the proper doctor, it's almost gone now. A recent treatment option was discovered a few years ago, when a doctor realized children treated with Propanolol (a beta blocker) had their hemangiomas shrink  and in some cases disappear. For some children they go away by age 3, but with where that one is I wanted to do what I could in the least invasive way possible.

 I never photoshop them out of my images of her, because it is a part of her.  Honesty in photography is important to me.

About 8 months old (helping me with my Halloween costume)

My goofy cutie.

H is for...

Home... hot...heat (I'm melting today... maybe it's time for the AC)

head, hair, hand, heart, hips, heel

hamster

holly, honey, honeybee

Happy!

 The older I get the more I am convinced that one of the meanings of life is to just plain be HAPPY. What is the point in being otherwise, once you have met your basic needs?

Food, shelter, basic medical care, transportation.. check, all taken care of. Now stop working harder for the next thing to buy, that you don't really need, and focus on being happy! Pure and simple.

Kids know how it works!

(yes yes, I know I am over simplifying, but I am sure Happiness is a good goal anyways)

G is for...

Gold, giraffe, gelfling, goats, gummi bears,
green, grass, grey, grape

Garden
(This post is rather picture heavy... sorry if you have a slow connection)

I grew up gardening...
My mom always had flower gardens
My grandma and uncle always kept up a vegetable garden (my uncle still does)













It just doesn't seem "right" to me not to be growing something.
Last year at this time I had a 2 week old baby, so nothing really happened around planting time. The previous years I did a tiny bit... a tomato plant here, a pepper plant there, but not great effort. This year we are trying to finally get to whipping this property into shape.

Nothing too impressive so far, but I'm enjoying it, and my toddler is amused. OK well, the toddler is a bit irritated that she is no longer allowed to dig big holes in the garden like last year, but she does enjoy the plants at least.

Lorelei at about 18 months

enjoying her free reign over the unmaintained garden

 The baby could care less, and just requests that I keep her supplied with toys.

Today we pulled some weeds, planted some basil and thyme, watered the bed good and then put down a little mulch. Turns out we need one more bag of mulch, but this should help for now.





Lorelei even picked out this adorable bluebird at the garden store today. I was set to say no but then looked at the price and it was only $9.99. I can handle that! I was sure they were going to be pricey at the little local nursery we were at. Locals to ATX, Shoal Creek Garden Center is pretty nice.

Oh and that rose bush? Well... this was yesterday, before I started weeding.

And this was today. Hopefully it recovers. It probably will for next year, but I think it's done this year.  I pulled out what I guess was its main root thinking it was one of the ivy vines snaking through my garden when weeding yesterday. I had no idea roses had vine like roots!

I look forward to seeing other's Gs, Fellow A-Zers!

F is for...

Fairy, fruit, funny, foofy, fluffy. feet, first, fink, fiddle,

Fringe, feathers

Flying floating falling

Which are these?

Excuse the sloppiness please, and lack of Focus. I've had a migraine all day and was getting frustrated. I do think they turned out alright considering I couldn't coerce my husband to help out.

Here's one more I worked on this morning