Weekly Photo Challenge ~ SUNSET

Wow, it’s Friday again? Already?! This week’s photo theme from The Daily Post is SUNSET.

Again, I tried not to be so obvious with my interpretation with this week’s theme. This is a photo – on of my all-time favorites - from an evening at the roping arena when the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon. I think this handsome lil’ fella was enjoying the cool breeze and nice view of the action. It helped that he was curious and photogenic for the goofy photographer woman-with-a-camera! 

Enjoy. Plus, you can share your own photos at The Daily Post too. I hope you will comment and share your own submission link(s) too!

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend, Y’all!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ PATH

It’s Friday and that means another photo theme from WordPress.

Update: I retract all of my references to CHODE as it related to WordPress as the really smart computer people have repaired the issues associated with adding and editing links. Thank you, whomever you really smart computer people are. You rock my socks. Thank you.

Anyway, my PATH photos are below and you can The Daily Post  to see photos from other bloggers.

Enjoy!

 

Nothing like a Kentucky sunset over fields of corn.

 

My parents riding their primary form of transportation around the homestead, garden, and visiting neighbors … a Kawasaki Mule.

 

My favorite: when’s the last time you looked down the “path” of a high-powered sniper target rifle?!

 

Happy Friday, Y’all …

 

Peace, love, and big guns,

Weekly Photo Challenge: Flowers

It’s Friday and that means a new theme from The Daily Post for their Weekly Photo Challenge.

This week’s theme is FLOWERS.

It’s becoming more and more obvious to me that I am in desperate need of instruction and a one-on-one tutorial of Photoshop. Each time I open this silly photo-editing software, my spirit (none to mention my ego) loses a bit of vibrance. I am painfully aware of my lack in abilities to manipulate a photo. But, alas, I am scheduled to attend a FIVE~hour class on Photoshop this November. Just 46 days left…….not that I’m counting!

Back to the photos for the week. Some of these are from a trip with my best friend to her wedding venue (A and M Gardens in Azle, Texas) and others are from my recent trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

 

Don’t ask how I got this photo to look the way it does. Good, bad, or indifferent I was impressed with myself for a nano-second that I was able to accomplish such a feat. Now, I don’t remember what I did or how I did it. But I love orchid blooms and Kim’s engagement ring is gorgeous.

 

This one makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. How can you be sad if something is as bright yellow as this?!

 

I don’t  know what this flower is, but I like it. This photo was taken at the devastating scene and amongst the wreckage of the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince. The hotel facility catered to Western (mostly U.S. and European) clients and was completely leveled in the 2010 earthquake. The team and I were able to walk around the property where a new hotel and convention facility is being rebuilt.

 

This blooming flower bush was outside the Methodist Guest House and I just noticed the leaves are shaped like hearts and the center of each bloom has a star-shaped bud.

 

This bloom, to me, represents the Haitian people. They are the most driven, passionate, and tenacious people I’ve met. An earthquake may shatter their lives and destroy their homes, but their faith will not be shaken, their hearts will not be moved, and they will find their way through the rubble to the SONlight.

 

I almost forgot about this sunflower. I snapped this shot last month in Kentucky at my parent’s neighbor’s house. They have a great backyard complete with a fire pit, garden, and play area for their two daughters. On the edge of their deck, they’ve planted several sunflowers and the blooms are incredible!

 

 

Blue says hi.

I say enjoy your Friday.

Don’t forget to enter my Celebration Giveaway ~ it ends this Sunday at midnight. There’s a ton of great prizes, including a Target gift card, Scentsy gift collection, a cookbook by The Pioneer Woman, and custom made textiles from an Etsy shop. ENTER NOW!!!!!

 

Love,

 

 

 

 

 

I Heart Faces ~ The “Eyes” of Haiti

This week’s I Heart Faces photo challenge is Beautiful Eyes. My recent mission trip to Haiti provided many opportunities to capture beautiful shots of a beautiful country with beautiful people. Besides a Haitian’s smile, their eyes are striking features.

I know it’s against the rules to post more than one photo ~ and I know I’m out of the running to be selected as a weekly winner ~ but that’s something I can easily live without.

Besides, I can’t choose just one.

 

I can’t choose one set of eyes.

 

I can’t choose one child over another.

 

If it were up to me, I would have put all these precious children in my pocket to keep forever!

 

To see more “beautiful eyes,” visit I Heart Faces or click the icon below.

 

 

If you have not done so already, visit my Celebration Giveaway for a chance to win a myriad of great prizes including Haitian artwork, Target giftcard, books, mongrammed textiles, and Scentsy products. You must include your name and email address in the comment line. Contest ends Sunday, August 21. Good luck!

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ BROKEN

I can’t believe it’s Friday again, this week has gone way too fast. I began the week with my folks in Kentucky, returned home in Texas late Wednesday night, and now I’m unpacking only to re-pack early next week for a mission trip to Haiti. Needless to say, it’s a busy time at our place. But, alas, it’s Friday and that means The Daily Post has a new theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge. This week’s them is BROKEN.

 

A couple of weeks ago, Husband purchased a small bumper-pull trailer for a great price but it needed a new floor. Luckily, his wife is awesome (tee hee hee) and helped him install a new floor. But the pile of wood that remained was a sight for sore eyes. Seriously, the original floor was in bad shape. But a little elbow grease and team work, we successfully installed a new wood floor and it looks so much better.

If you’re looking at the doo-doo-brown grass around the pile of broken wood, that’s what our entire yard looks like. It’s dead. Obviously. I haven’t mowed since the first Saturday of May. The mower has a dead battery and flat tire. I’m in no hurry to repair either. Fortunately, the grass in the pasture is taller because Husband did not shred in the spring. That was a GENIUS moment for him at the time. Because of that, Blue has some sustenance, but we’re searching for hay and will need it within a week or two. We need – desperately – rain but there’s none in sight.

Happy Friday!

Nicole

Related articles

• I Heart Faces Photo Challenge – WATER (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge ~ OLD-FASHIONED (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge – SKY (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge – WATER

Thanks to Jan over at The Diamond E, I’ve been introduced to another photo blog site, I Heart Faces. Each week, they invite amateur and professional photographers to submit their photos that fit a particular theme. If you’ve been following my blog, you’re sure to have noticed the Weekly Photo Challenge hosted by The Daily Post (a sidebar of WordPress.com). Now, I get to add another one of these to my blogging schedule.

So let’s get to the photo.

This week’s I Heart Faces theme is WATER. I’ve been in Kentucky the last two weeks (returning to Texas tomorrow) and I captured this photo of my dad with Emma (one of the neighbors along Shady Grove Knoblick Road) as they were feeding the fish.

While Emma’s face is hidden, Dad’s is visible - I hope this counts in the contest…..guess I’ll find out if my entry is deleted.

I think it’s a great shot of these two in action, especially the pellets in the air and Emma’s little fingers. It’s definitely turning my maternal clock a bit faster, as I know my parents would love to become grandparents. Besides, my own grandmother is instructing me to “get on it” so she can see her only granddaughter become a mother and embrace another great-grandbaby. Yes, my grandmother is encouraging Husband and I to hurry up.

Anyway……….I hope you enjoy this photo and I look forward to participating in future I Heart Faces events. Check out their site, there are lots of great photos for this theme, as well as others.

Thank you, Jan @ The Diamond E, for introducing me to this site. You’re the best blogging friend a blogger could ask for ~ now if we could just meet in person, considering we live so close to each other!

Related articles

• I Heart Faces – Water (soanywaytoday.wordpress.com)
• I Heart Faces Photo Challenge - Water (www.thediamonde.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge – SKY (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)

Home Chef Challenge

I’ve been a lazy bum this morning. Even though I awoke before my alarm went off, I stayed in bed to finish a book I had started. I thought I would check my social status before going outside to begin another’s day work in the garden when I was pleasantly SHOCKED to read an email from the staff at the TODAY show’s Facebook page. I entered the Home Chef Challenge several weeks ago and they’ve selected my entry.

If you remember, I made a peanut butter pie for Husband’s birthday – you can see the post here and get the recipe here. It was, simply, one of the best peanut butter pies I’ve EVER eaten. Super peanut-y, super creamy, and super delicious made for a super dessert.

If you are a Facebook user, I would really appreciate your support in this little contest. All you must do is “like” the TODAY Food page on Facebook. Then, visit the Home Cook Challenge page and vote for my recipe. The photo above is featured on their page too.

This is what their Facebook page looks like:

 

VOTE NOW!

When I took this screen shot, I was in the lead. Please share with your friends and encourage them to vote too. Just think, Husband’s birthday pie could be featured on TODAY.com!!!!!!!

Please vote. Thank you!

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WPC: Colorful

This week’s photo challenge theme is COLORFUL…..and I think I have a great photo to submit. Thanks WordPress for hosting the Weekly Photo Challenge!

Also, if you have a moment, please visit my earlier post in honor of our beloved Curtis, one of Husband’s team-roping horses. We’re gonna greatly miss The Ol’Man. He was an oldie but a goodie!

~nicole~

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ OLD-FASHIONED

I’d consider myself to be pretty old-fashioned when it comes to some things…….I am NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, fashion forward, politically involved, or up-to-speed on the latest celebrity gossip.

There is one thing, however, that I am very old-fashioned about ~ and that’s food and cooking.

I believe every single kitchen in America would be a happier place if there were at least one rooster on display, a jar of bacon grease in the fridge, and plenty of homegrown goodies in the pantry.  

Speaking of garden goodies, here is my Weekly Photo Challenge submittal, what do you think?!

L to R: plum preserves, pickled beets, green beans, pear preserves with jalapeno, pulp-y tomato juice, and corn relish.....all made with love and sealed with a "Kiss From Kentucky"

I think it’s pur-dee darn delicious looking. Thanks to my wonderful, awesome, thoughtful, and VERY generous parents in Kentucky, they grow all of this in their GIGANTIC garden. Then, they share it all with me, their favorite (and only) daughter. I’m one lucky girl!

I have personally helped make all of these creations except for the pickled beets…that’s my Mother’s doings. I personally don’t like beets so I say, “Mom, knock yourself out!” (figuratively, of course)

So, there you have it. Homegrown delicious-ness that you CANNOT buy from the grocery store. When I open a Mason jar, that “pop” is a Kiss From Kentucky. Boy, it’s a wonderful kiss!

Here’s a view of the infamous garden ~ this is just part of ONE of the gardens though….there’s another one behind their house and you can’t really see the true size of the garden, nor the rows of sweet corn either.

This ain't your grocer's produce section.

I’ll be heading to Kentucky later next week to enjoy myself some fresh picked produce and drink some of my Daddy’s homemade wuh-ine!!!!!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for the delicious garden goodies (and Neenie for the extra green beans!), Husband and I are extremely grateful ~ so are our bellies!!!

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge – SKY

I really enjoy participating in the Weekly Photo Challenge, hosted by The Daily Post. This week’s theme is SKY and I think I have the perfect interpretation to submit.

This photo was taken a couple of years ago near Waxahachie, Texas when Kevin and I were headed to a team roping event. There had just been a thunderstorm in the area and we saw a DOUBLE rainbow too. It was incredible.

Have a wonderful (and safe) holiday weekend – Happy Fourth of July!