Saturday, December 31, 2011

December 31/11

I know you are probably sick of me telling you how much I love old things.  It's not that I have a house FULL of antiques or anything, but I love to mix new with old.  I found this old crocheted pillow case at a thrift store the other day for $1.  I added a piece of ribbon and a clip I had at home and I love the result.  It sits in one of my bedrooms in a corner chair.
Now if only it was that easy to update myself!  Another year gone...where does the time go?  Here's hoping that this new year brings some new adventures, more love in my life, and time spent with close family and friends.
p.s.  I really miss you Cindy and wish you lived closer...

Updated

Friday, December 30, 2011

December 30/11

I took this picture on my way to work this morning (Mark was driving).  Even though this picture isn't perfectly clear, I think that's what makes it more interesting.  It was really foggy this morning, and I love how the trees in this orchard just kind of fade away...

Foggy

Thursday, December 29, 2011

December 29/11

I was looking out our front window tonight...it's cold and snowing a bit.  I'm glad to be inside.  I love our lamp post on our walkway and the light it gives off at night...oh and you can't see our walkway because we haven't shoveled yet :)

Night time...

December 28/11

We just got home from a get together and it's now 12:09 am.  A quick picture tonight everyone.  I took this yesterday.  We replaced the windows in the back of our new home yesterday.  I can't thank everyone enough for all their help.  You really come to appreciate your friends and family when you take on a project like this...  Got them in and they look great.  I'm hoping that by the time I finish my blog on January 11 I can show you at least one room completed!  Good night all.

Helping Hands

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December 27/11

We worked at our new house all day today. It started to snow around 3 or 4 today and by the time we left at 7 pm, there was tons of snow.  The roads were terrible to drive on! But the trees look awesome with the heavy, wet snow on them.  If you are wondering what the white circles are in my picture, it's all the snowflakes coming towards my lens...I liked the look of it...

Snow Covered Tree

Monday, December 26, 2011

December 26/11

Tyler and Dayna came to visit last month and we went antique shopping. I saw something I really liked but didn't pick up.  They were back again on Thursday and surprised me with the silver tray I had seen.  How sweet of them to remember!  I love it!!
I took this picture with my new 50mm f 1.8 lens.  One of the best lens for the price you have to pay...look at the reviews on them.  A great lens!!

Beautiful Antique

Sunday, December 25, 2011

December 25/11

What a great day to relax!  All the stores are closed...everyone is off work...a great day for just doing what you want.  Nice...

Bokeh

Saturday, December 24, 2011

December 24/11

We were at the house again today!  No holidays for us...we have to get it done and are now on a time schedule since our house has sold.  We are supposed to get a few cm of snow tomorrow, so Mark went up on the roof today since it was a nice sunny day.  We have a two story house so he was about 30 ft up and all I could picture was him sliding down the roof, hanging on to the eavestrough and me not knowing what the heck to do to help him!!  Fortunately, he made it down safely :)  I like the white birch tree against the blue sky today...
Tomorrow will be a nice day off !

Please don't fall...


Friday, December 23, 2011

December 23/11

I took this picture of our rod iron fence the other day when it snowed.  I just like the way it looks...I was outside in the early morning and I'm pretty sure my neighbours thought I was crazy taking pictures of my fence!!

Early Morning

Thursday, December 22, 2011

December 22/11

I really like winter.  Not major snowstorms, but a nice winter day is awesome.  The sun reflects on the snow... it's like natural glitter.  So, we have no snow yet, but I've put my winter decorations out!! It will eventually come...
We had our kids over for dinner tonight, it was so nice to see all of them here with their spouses and significant others...it will probably be the last time we are all together before the house sells.  Like my little sign says, we are making Winter Memories...
Kristen...wish you were here too...missed you!!

Memories

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

December 21/11

Tonight I spent time with friends Peg and Joanne and Joanne's daughter Daron who is getting married.  I've done her wedding invitations and they came over to put the finishing touches on them!  Peg painted the picture I used on the invitations... A bottle of wine, friends and creativity...I love it!!

Creativity

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

December 20/11

I'm so excited with our yard at the new house.  From our deck we can see the neighbour's horses in the back of our yard.  I went up to them today and they are sooo much bigger than they look from our deck.  But so nice...every one of them let me pet them.  So cool...I'll have to get some apples :)

Horses in our back yard...

Monday, December 19, 2011

December 19/11

We basically have had no snow this year.  Only a few light dustings, so I thought I should take some pictures when we do get it!!  I love the snow sitting on these branches.  I would like to get a macro lens that I could get a cool close up of a single snowflake.  I love how they each have their own unique shape.  When I was little I used to look at the large ones that fell and I tried to see how they looked before they would melt on my hand or mittens.  If I could capture that in a picture that would be great!!

Snow Covered Branch

Sunday, December 18, 2011

December 18/11

Ever since I have known Mark, every year he has made shortbread cookies.  It now includes having Egg Nog & Rum with nutmeg on top as we are baking them!  Mmmmm...made 6 batches.  Mark makes the best shortbread cookies I've ever tasted.  He says the recipe is from his great grandmother...so good!

Best Cookies

Saturday, December 17, 2011

December 17/11

Everyone knows I love old things.  They have character & cool colours.  Like this old chair...love the red.  I can see this sitting on my front porch with some fresh greens and twigs on it.

Old Chair

Friday, December 16, 2011

December 16/11

This blog is a story of my life for the past year...so I have to add this picture that I took this spring.  It's of the house that Mark & I built together 14 years ago when we got married.  We blended our families, had good times and bad...like everyone...but still made memories that we will keep forever.
Our house has officially been sold as of today.  Exciting and sad at the same time...

Memories to Keep

Thursday, December 15, 2011

December 15/11

I love landscapes...even this time of year when all the leaves are gone.  I find the trees more interesting without leaves!!

Leafless

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

December 14/11

The reason I like this picture so much is how the background blends so nicely...and the flowers just pop.  And the colours in this vase...Ash & Braden brought it back for us from their honeymoon in Greece.  I love blue & white combinations!!

Greek Vase

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

December 13/11

I'm always looking for unique things...and some of the building tops are just cool looking.  I just think that if someone looks at this in 50 or 75 years they'll wonder what the heck this was for...these are on a barn-like building that I pass on my way to work.


Monday, December 12, 2011

December 12/11

Oh my gosh...I have spent all night trying to pick out a white paint colour for our trim.  Literally hours spent surfing the internet searching for the "best white".  Do you know how complicated it can be...who would have thought that white would be so hard?  Dove White, Cookie Crumb, Designer White, and the most popular...Cloud White.  I still haven't picked a trim colour, maybe I'll move on to the walls...

So many choices...

Sunday, December 11, 2011

December 11/11

It's been a very busy weekend!!  So my posts are a little shorter than usual.  I just loved the texture of these grasses. It's December 11th and it's amazing that these are not covered and weighed down in snow yet...

Texture

Saturday, December 10, 2011

December 10/11

Another full day at the new house, ripping things apart, tearing out walls and burning what we have torn out.
Thanks to Norm & Erna for all their help...and what's better after a long day of work that take out
Chinese food...yum...

Take Out

Friday, December 9, 2011

December 9/11

I have always loved scrabble...I've played it with my kids for years and used to play it with my sisters and grandparents.
I love how the scrabble tiles are being framed now and used in crafts.
I think these are 3 important words...I'm not framing it as I might think of something else I want to say!!
That's the beauty of the scrabble pieces, you can make so many phrases and words...

So many possibilites...

Thursday, December 8, 2011

December 8/11

I've been talking lately about our new home which I'm really excited about.  However, it also gets me thinking that I'm really going to miss our house we have now too.  Mark and I built this house when we blended our two families together and there are many memories here.  What got me thinking about that was this picture I took of our outside light underneath our pergola.  I remember the day spent with Mark and friends at the Aberfolyle Antique Market, just looking for the perfect light.  And we found it!  There are many little things that bring back good memories that we will have to leave behind.  But I guess they are only things, and we still have the good memories :)

Perfect Outside Lantern

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

December 7/11

So I just got home from our other house and it's after 9pm.  I was thinking what is my picture going to be today?  I drove up our driveway and our neighbour has all his lights put up for the season.  The reason I took this picture was to see how a picture I took in the dark would turn out and to see how my depth of field worked as well.  I used an external flash and I think it turned out great.

Coloured Lights

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

December 6/11

When I was younger I always had 20/20 vision.  I was sitting at my desk tonight and noticed 2 pairs of my glasses...then I got thinking about how many pairs I actually had.  These are a few...not counting the ones at my workplace and another pair floating around the house here too.  I also have a new prescription in my purse ready to fill for stronger glasses than what I have now.  Oh well, none of us can stop time and if my eyesight is the only thing that is fading I feel pretty fortunate :).


The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. 
Helen Keller 


Sight to See

Monday, December 5, 2011

December 5/11

I have a glass bowl full of these on my counter...I love the look mixed with fresh cut greens from outside.

Fresh cut greens...
 

Sunday, December 4, 2011

December 4/11

Busy day today...antiquing with Tyler & Dayna, bridal shower for Megan and then renovating the new house.
I'm posting a picture I took a couple of weeks ago from an old building.  I still find the architectural detail they put into old buildings amazing!!

Building Faces



Saturday, December 3, 2011

December 3/11

We were renovating all day today, and one of the main things we did was burn all of the old cupboards, vanities etc that we took out (with a burn permit of course).  Our friends Norm and Erna watched and added to the fire for hours today (thank you both!!).  This picture is after many hours of burning...

Embers are the glowing, hot coals made of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material that remain after, or sometimes precede a fire. Embers can glow very hot, sometimes as hot as the fire which created them. An ember is usually formed when a fire has only partially burnt a piece of fuel, and there is still usable chemical energy in that piece of fuel. Often this happens because the usable chemical energy is so deep into the center that air (chemically O2) does not reach it, therefore not causing combustion (carbon-based fuel + O2 → CO2 + H2O + C + other chemicals involved). The reason that it continues to stay hot and does not lose its thermal energy quickly is because combustion is still happening at a miniature scale. The small yellow, orange and red lights often seen among the embers are actually combustion. There just is not enough combustion happening at one time to create a flame. By the time embers are completely 'burned through', almost all of it is pure carbon will have loose physical bonds, which is why they crumble with the slightest touch.
Info courtesy of Wikipedia.

Isn't science amazing???

Thanks also to Ash & Braden, and Tyler & Dayna for all your help today!

Fire Embers

Friday, December 2, 2011

December 2/11

As you know I love black & white photos.  This picture of part of an old building just looks so much better in B&W.  I liked the angles in this shot...

OLD

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December 1/11

I have really been liking to take close ups lately.  I've said many times before, they just make things look much more interesting than they actually may be.  This is seeded eucalyptus (which is my favourite filler for arrangements) and I just love the way it looks up close.  I'm thinking of blowing this up and framing it for my new craft room...

Close Up