The Moon & 'Shrooms

Last night, on my way to give the kitties a supper snack, I noticed several clusters of mushrooms throughout the yard.  

I'm not sure what kind they are, but the squirrels don't seem to mess with them.

Since I've been concentrating on my Etsy shop I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately.

It felt good to be taking pictures... even though I was laying on the ground to get these and getting filthy!  What fun!  I know you photographers know what I'm talking about!

This morning, as I walked Country Boy out as he was leaving for work, I noticed the moon was almost full.

The full moon was Wednesday night.  Maybe next month I'll pay more attention and get the full moon (unless you're getting tired of being mooned, sorry, it's early and I couldn't resist, heehee)!

For those of you interested in my settings for this shot...

Tv mode (for Canon) or Shutter mode
ISO 400
Exposure Time 1/3200 sec
F-stop f/5.60
focal length 250mm
I set the White Balance on Auto and used a tripod.

Try it sometime and let me know how it goes!

Till next time,

Christmas Tree Skirt & The Moon

I know that it's just the beginning of Fall but I wanted to show you what I have FINALLY finished...

the Christmas tree skirt that I purchased years ago on clearance.  I started working on it the end of last year.

It was a bittersweet moment yesterday afternoon as I finished the last stitch.  I've been working on it every time I have a few minutes to sit down for so long that I was kind of sad yet happy to see it finally finished.  I went ahead and did the finishing work as well yesterday; pressing, measuring and cutting the Aida cloth into a circle.  Then I finished the edges and hem on the sewing machine.  Thankfully, it was all much easier than I had anticipated!

Since I spent so much time on this piece it is going to be for personal use rather than selling it on my Etsy site.  Which, by the way, is finally up and running but I'm waiting to post the link when I get a few more items on there.  Stay tuned!

I have several cross-stitch pieces waiting to be done so I will not be without something to do when I get a few minutes to sit down!  It's a good thing because I don't 'sit' too well.  I HAVE to be doing something... either reading, cross-stitching, sewing, crocheting... you get the idea!

I saw this on my way back in from giving the kitties their supper snack last night...

Pretty cool, huh?!  

I'm not quite sure where this day went but it's about gone... for me anyway!  I'm pooped after a full, busy day and am reading to do some sitting and then lying down!

Till next time,

What Did I Miss?

It seems like long time since I've been able to sit down and write a post or read my favorite blogs... I'm wondering what I missed and can't wait to 'catch-up'!  I do know that NE Texas FINALLY got some very much needed rain yesterday and last night and for that I am doing a happy dance for TexWisGirl!

Country Boy and I made a quick trip to South Florida this past weekend so he and his brother could play in the 18th Annual Anthony J. "Tony" Budreau Memorial Golf Classic for the fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease.  They have played every year for the past ten years or so.  Always a good time for a good cause!

We enjoyed Friday evening with his brother and his wife and then early Saturday morning, the boys were off for a day of golf, a delicious buffet and lots of give-aways!  Meanwhile, I meandered around their neighborhood and shot some photos in the morning and then my sister-in-law and I hung out by (and in) the pool all afternoon!

It was mid-morning when I began meandering and the sun was bright but the moon was still out.

I don't know what kind of tree this is or what the buds/blooms are but the bees sure were lovin' it!

There were also lots of White Peacock butterflies.

White Peacock butterflies

The scientific name is Anartia jatrophae.

The sun was strong and has washed out a lot of the pretty blue that was on these butterflies.  I believe the white dot on the leaf below is a White Peacock butterfly egg.

I snapped several more photos but the sun was getting hot so I headed back to the house, put my swimsuit on and headed for the pool!

While I was there, I started the huge task of rating, deleting and categorizing my 6,500+ photos *sigh*.  I have made some progress but it's going to take some time.  Once I get the remaining photos that I want to keep organized and copied onto my external hard drive it will be easier to keep up with it if I rate, delete and categorize them every time I upload a batch of photos.... at least, that's my plan and what I'm telling myself!

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to get the laundry in off the line and maybe start 'catching-up' with my bloggy friends!

Till next time,

Whad'ya Mean Friday Is Almost Over?

I honestly don't know who forwarded my clocks several hours today but it was late afternoon before I realized it!  Sheesh!  I've always heard that time speeds up as ya' get older... I don't know if I can afford that... there is way too much to do here at the Homestead to be losing time *smile*!

Take today, for example, I crawled out of bed when Country Boy's alarm went off, got dressed, packed his cooler and got the ever-important coffee brewing.  After seeing him off to work, it was time to feed the kitties.   Next, it was time to pay the bills.  Paydays are bittersweet but I am thankful for them!  No sooner had I started on the bills, the technician showed up to install my Solar Tube Lights.  Yay!  I can't tell you how excited I was that we decided to spend a bit of money initially to save money in the long run.  AND, if you knew how dark my house was, you would agree that these are going to be money well-spent!

Here's how it began...

Yep, a hole in my ceiling and roof.  This is the 'test' hole.  Yikes!  No worries though, the technician assured me that all these holes could be patched.  I could see daylight when I looked at this hole.  (Just ignore the horrid popcorn ceiling, please!)

And then, the hole got bigger...

This major hole is in our bathtubless master bathroom.  OK, folks, there is NO turning back now!

And then... voila!

Let there be light!  Oh wait, that's not a light!  Can you believe how bright this is on a cloudy day!  My bathroom was so dark, even during the day, that I always had to turn the light on when I went in there.  Now I'm gonna have to clean my bathroom more often because it's so bright in there!  But, hey, that's OK!  I can see now!  And, I'm saving electricity... woohoo!

During this time, my neighbor came over and we started to make my napkins.  I started measuring and cutting fabric while she worked on perfecting the decorative stitches.  She didn't stay long but I managed to get six of them sewn and pressed during the afternoon.  They are awaiting a decorative top-stitch and then I'll show you the results.  Can I just say now that I LOVE them!  They turned out so nice and pretty and I really enjoyed making them!  Which is good... because I need to make a bunch more for us to use on a regular basis.  And then more for my Etsy shop!

As I was sitting on my front porch sewing the napkins, I noticed Precious saunter outside to check something out.  You never know what it might be around here so I glanced over to see what she was up to.  Meandering across our front lawn (such as it is) was a Gopher Tortoise...

Are ya done taking photos lady... cuz I'm outta here!

I think it was 2:00 before I ate lunch.  Now, I'm sitting on the front porch drinking a homemade Pumpkin Spiced Latte (I love this time of year with all the pumpkin flavored stuff out to sink my teeth into!), watching the hummingbirds load up on the sugar water, the birds singing, the squirrels playing chase in the trees and listening to some rumbling off in the distance and a light sprinkle of rain (sorry T, I really wish I could send some your way!).

On my way to give the kitties a supper snack last night, I noticed the moon through the trees.  I ran back to the house to grab my camera.  I am still trying to get the ever-elusive, decent shot of the moon.

Do any of you photographers know how to get rid of the 'second moon' created by the lens?  I have a UV filter on my lens already.  Should I be using a different filter? and if so, what type?

This was shot with my telephoto lens.  I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out but I am always open to suggestions to make my photos better!

Now, it's time to eat some supper, watch the storm blow in and relax the rest of the evening!  I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Till next time,

Wore Slap Out!

It's not even 8:00 p.m. and I am wore slap out.  I don't even know what I did today that would wear me out so much!  Country Boy and I went to pick up our RV this morning, then he washed it while I was making some bread.  I cleaned the windows and dashboard while Country Boy cleaned the fridge.  It's amazing how dirty stuff can get!  We loaded the RV with a few things then decided it was time for supper.  We tried something new tonight.  We have pokeweed growing all over the property and for years Country Boy has been wanting to make some poke salad.  Only problem is... neither one of us knew how to make it.  A neighbor was over this morning and he pointed out the poke salad and briefly told us how to make it.  I googled it for further directions, so we decided to try it!  We were nervous though because supposedly, it can be poisonous!  I googled that also.  When the stalk is red, over 18" and the plant has berries on it you shouldn't eat it.  And you're to eat the tender leaves.  Anyway, we gave it a shot!  It looks like spinach and tastes like greens!  Not too bad!  It's been almost two hours and we're both OK!  But, it will be to bed early tonight!  More loading to do tomorrow after church...

The moon seems to be out a lot during the day lately.  These were taken several months apart.  Looks like the same phase of the moon though.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Till next time,