great minds think alike

Great minds think alike (GMTA), don't you think?

While on a recent camping trip, I walked with a few of the kids and dogs down to a nearby pond.  Who knew pond scum could be so fun and beautiful!  Since moving dogs and kids were involved, I took these pictures in TV mode using shutter speeds of between 1/250mm sec and 1/500 sec, ISO 100 and f/4.5.  What could be better than a couple of wet dogs and cute and dirty camping faces...oh, and pond scum?
 

Backstage

Backstage...is a beautiful place to be!  I am a dancer, and have been for most of my life.  I love to dance!  I recently enrolled my little girls in the same dance studio I grew up in...and I also enrolled myself!  One of the more fun things I've done in my life is watch my little girls dance on a stage...and then dance onstage myself just a few numbers after them... my parents, husband and two other children watching from the audience.  The following pictures are from our yearly spring performance.  I had a goal of taking all my pictures without a flash.  While I wasn't so successful getting good shots of my girls actually dancing on the stage (much more practice needed) I think I got some pretty neat backstage pictures, specifically in one of the backstage dressing rooms.  There is something so theatrical about a performance center dressing room;  cement walls and floor, basic square mirrors outlined with naked lightbulbs and metal clothing racks filled with bright-colored sequin costumes.  I wish I had one in my house. 

A few of these shots were taken through a mirror...so fun! All pictures were taken using my 28-105mm lens.

ISO 1000  1/64 sec.  f/3.5

ISO 1000  1/32 sec.  f/4.0

ISO 800  1/83 sec.  f/4.0

ISO 1600  1/128 sec.  f/4.0

ISO 1600  1/256 sec.  f/3.5

ISO 1600  1/99 sec.  f/3.5

 

The next picture was taken by a friend in auto mode and the flash did fire.  I love this picture and had to include it!  I especially love that there is a little girl in the background practicing her arm postitions...just precious!

ISO 400  1/64 sec.  f/4.0

Pennant Banner

My little afternoon project!  So fun!  I think I'll make one for a friend, for Fourth of July, for a margarita party, for Halloween...

Aunt Suzy's Chocolate Chip Cake

Aunt Suzy's chocolate chip cake

This is the yummiest chocolate chip cake!  My husband and 12-year-old son ask me to make this cake each year on their birthdays!  I took this cake, adorned with the above red, white and blue cake bunting, to a Memorial Day celebration and everyone loved it!

ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix

1 box (3 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 box (3 oz) instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups water

4 eggs

1/2 cup Crisco oil

12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.  Mix the first 6 ingredients.  Fold chocolate chips into mixture.  Pour mixture into pan.  Bake for 55-60 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes, then turn cake onto plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

For instructions on how to make the cake bunting, please visit this wonderful blog:

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2011/03/mini-pennant-and-cake-bunting-tutorial.html

how i came up with my header

I am on a quest to learn the art of photography (among other things).  I began this quest really only a little over a month ago.  I've always enjoyed taking pictures and scrapbooking, but until taking a photography class last month, I had never exited the world of Auto Mode on my camera.  I'm proud to say that I've barely touched Auto Mode since.  And this is exciting for me!  There is one photograph in particular that I have been pretty psyched about - one showing my twin 6-year-old girls smiling perfectly and wearing their matching white cowgirl hats.  When I first set eyes on my photo, out of nowhere I exclaimed, "It's so simple!  They look like little pieces of fruit!"  I know what you are thinking...c.o.r.n.y....but that's the truth about how I came up with my header:

simple like fruit

                             

Here are some more photos taken on the same day, at the same place!

 




 

simple like fruit

so here's my spot!...dedicated to me!...a place for all the world to see!