Communal Global ~ "Around the World"

I haven't had my baby yet, so instead you get to see some snowy picutures...It's been snowing on and off here all last week (which of course is when I took these pictures).

The children had lots of fun...

And I took lots of pictures ...

whilst avoiding their snowballs!

There wasn't quite enough for sledging really (about 2" in total I reckon)...

...but just enough for small snowmen!

It was VERY cold...

...although I think my teenager was more interested in his appearance than his temperature!

The frost topped trees in the mornings were very beautiful ~ it was -8 when I took this at 10am.

Today we have freezing fog, which is also very picturesque.

And just so, you have some idea how cold it STILL is, here is one of Doogle/Brian's shots of our Holly tree today (SOOC). I can't wait to see his edits of these.

Me... I've not even ventured out there ~ but I still might!


Time to link up to Communal Global everyone :D

FIX-IT-FRIDAY - NO.79 - "Princess!"

Here is this week beautiful original.

 (click to go to the download page if you want to have a go at 'fixing' it)

My only thoughts are; it's a little cool, it needs a touch of sharpening (most SOOC shots do) and I want to loose the path because it doesn't add anything to the picture. I also thought a close up of her adorable little face might be lovely...

So using LR3 here are my edits;

I'll just add here that discovery of the ALT key when adjusting the sharpness has been my BEST friend lately! 

Check this tutorial out ~ it's such an AWESOME thing! ;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcfplT4DbDM

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I liked my basic edit, but thought she'd look lovely BW too...

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Same as above, only cropped tight and square.

(it really helps to have a really good quality, high resolution image to begin with when your are cropping THIS much!)

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Same as edit 3, but with MP Delicate Vintage V2 applied and then tweaked (see screen shot).

I also applied a colour adjustment brush to her eyes to bring them back to blue.

I'm posting this a little early in the hope that maybe, just maybe, my expected baby might come on time!! 

Due date ~ tomorrow (Friday)!!

Please leave your comments ~ I'll be sure to read them and I might even get chance to visit and see yours!

To join in the fun of Fix-it-Friday, hop on over to iheartfaces tomorrow and link up your edit :D

I ♥ Faces - Photo-Challenge – Scenic B&W

I had quite a few pictures I could have chosen from today and it was a tough choice to make, but this one just reminds me of lazy summer days ~ a far cry from the deep frost that surround us right now! 

As this weeks challenge doesn't require faces to be clearly in view it works :D

I took this one day when the kids and I went for a long walk. I loved the way they laid down in the grass for a short rest, just in front of this beautiful old farmhouse. 

To join in with this weeks's challenge, head on over to ihearfaces.com and link up with your best 'Scenic BW' :D

Communal Global: Tuesday's Around the World ~ In The Eyes of BRIAN!

I just want to put my 13yo son's photos 'out there' ~ I think he is getting a BIT good and I'd love it if some of you photography folks would hop on over to Flickr and befriend him. 

His name is not Brian, but it's a name he uses around the web a bit (amongst others) ~ who knows the working of the teen' mind!?

Enjoy..!

Black & White Wednesday # 10

It's been a few weeks since I joined in here, but I wanted to share these shots with you ~ taken at the end of last week, whilst Stitch was absorbed in Peppa Pig on the Wii!

It's hard to get shots indoors this time of year ~ there are so few hours of bright enough light to get away without using a flash (and my on-camera flash is seriously horrid), or drastically ruining the picture by ramping up the ISO.

Thankfully Lightroom3 is pretty clever with noise and I love the way these turned out.

He looks so very serious, but he really is a major mischief, always with a cheeky grin on his face ;)

To join in head over to Lisa's blog, as check out her beautiful new daughter if you haven't already..! :D

Communal Global ~ "Around the World"

This month on CG we are documenting the things we are thankful for.
Today I am thankful for where I live, but as I'm not really going anywhere much these days (just simply too painfully uncomfortable at 38/40), I'm sharing a few images from this time LAST year.

This is my home, zoomed in from about half a mile away as the crow flies, but you can't walk straight that way, as the ground between where I stood and my home is not safe to walk on ~ it's a floating peat bog (Wybunbury Moss)! I took this last autumn ~ I just LOVE the colours.

This is alongside our lane.

This is the entrance way to the 'inner moss' ~ the peat bog itself. There is a safe-path around part of it.

Part of the walk around 'the moss' that we take on a regular basis (when I can).

A view of the 'inner moss' ~ the peat bog.

As you can see, nothing much appears to grow here (except bull-rushes), as the actual surface is not very deep, but it is a hive of rare wildlife and some 'exclusive' species of insects and plants. The trees that surround the bog blow down on a regular basis, as the soil is simply to shallow to support their weight. Underneath the bog is a deep lake!

Our Village pub ~ delicious grub served here!!

Another little bit of the walk.

And the 'feel' of the place :D

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my world ~ now show us a glimpse of what you are thankful for in yours :)

Link up below and to Communal Global.

Fix-It-Friday #78

This weeks lovely image was from Susan Keller.

Here is the ORIGINAL

I couldn’t see a good deal wrong with it, other than perhaps her son’s face is a little too in shadow.

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Here are my edits (this week done entirely in PSE7 for a change). 

Sorry there’s no ‘how I did it’ either this week, I’m simply too tired and sore to sit at the PC for that long.  38/40 ~ not long to go now!

Edit One

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Edit Two

(textures by Kim Klassen)

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Edit Three

Verdict ~ the first two edits are quite ‘sharp’ but I wanted that with the textures. 

The last is less sharp (only really sharpened his eyelashes), but the softness works too!  

I can’t choose between 1 & 3!  :) 

I’m a little late (like a whole day) posting this up, but I hope you will comment. To join in with your own edits hop on over to Iheartfaces.

I ♥ Faces - Photography Contest ~ Orange

OK ~ so probably not my best shot ever, but definitely ORANGE! 

This was our first shot at Pumpkin Carving and it was great fun! ~ see the result here...

To join in with this weeks ORANGE challenge, link up over at iheartfaces  ~ See You there!

Communal Global ~ "Around the World"

Today ~ I just wanted to share my ENORMity with you!

I had to stand skew to get my toes to show ~ not so easy!

37wks on Friday ~ Praying for early.

I have a history of really late, but this one simply HAS to come on time ~ we have plans for Christmas! Not only that ~ my hips are shot!


To join in with Communal Global Tuesday LINK UP below :D

A Tiny Blue Visitor...

  

A little Blue-Tit paid us a visit today :-)

(S)he didn't stay long...

...but appeared to like our beads,

And on leaving seemed to stop to say goodbye!

To join in click a LOGO at the top and link up :D

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Pumpkin Fun!

So, here she is ~ our biggest, most beautiful, home-grown pumpkin!

Getting ready for her destiny...

Such FUN!!

We don't celebrate Halloween as such, but that doesn't stop us having fun!!

A pumpkin carving session is a perfect opportunity to illustrate & explain to my children how God loves us so much He is willing to get Himself really mucky, cleaning and scraping out all the gunk in our hearts and lives, so that He can put HIS light inside our hearts and make us shine for Him, for all the world to see!