You may not have noticed....

Jeremy having a pout...

You may not have noticed....
but I REALLY like photography....
I'm sure you could NEVER tell,
It's not like I EVER post any pictures...LOL!

Gracie

My Love Affair with the camera started about ten years ago, 

with a cheap little Kodak..

It was a snap and shoot..

and you had to be practically standing on your subject

before you could get any pictures...

The snap and shoot was all I had for several years

until my husband bought me a Pentax...

I LOVED that camera...

It was my first experience with a camera that had some ability..

I learned all about light and shadow,

people placement...

What actually looked good in the lens...
Worked great till I left it on the roof of my car...
......and drove away....  :(

For those of you who see my daughter at church and down town..

this is what she REALLY looks like....LOL!

Notice the nice fat bruise on her forhead,

and the dirt all over the pretty Sunday dress...

(Good job mommy for letting her out in that...LOL!)

It was my favorite camera  until the day my hubby bought me my first 

Very Exspensive Nikon camera...

and then I truly fell in love...

Today I have a Nikon D-90...

my birthday present this year...

After digital had taken over the photography world,

my poor manual Nikon became obsolete,

and as my hobby is exspensive,

for several years, I was stuck using a Kodak easy share camera.

My husband liked it, 

but it drove me crazy...

No more great indoor shots,

no quick shots of fast moving children...

no more great sports shots...

My favorite kind of photography is people..

and especially children and old people...

There is just something about capturing an expression of absolute joy or rage

sadness, or peace that makes my heart sing...

capturing that memory for an eternity...

It is different from portrait photograpy

where the shots are set up

although that can be fun too,

but candid shots are so much about what the person is doing at the moment.

I think if I was ever to take up photography for a living again..

it would be candid shots, and events photography...

Because of the kind of pictures I like, 

and because I get lazy with some of the technical aspects of photography,

my pictures aren't always perfect...

but I am learning..

 It is my Passion.

I have promised myself with my new camera

to learn ALL the technical stuff as well.

which made hubby happy with me...LOL!

I have to admit though, that my kids get tired of being subjects..

I get two reactions...

My son ignores me at times when he sees the camera,

and my older kids groan...LOL!

My youngest daughter is the only one who seems to like being a model...

and she poses like a diva...

no matter how she looks...LOL!

I am looking forward to getting back into photography again 

now that I have something to work with..

so I hope you can all bear with me, 

while I play!  

What kind of photography do you like...

and what kind of camera do you have?

Share a link with your favorite picture and I will 

do a short expose, and post your picture and give you some linky love next Monday...

I won another one? WOW!

Two awards in one week...I can't believe it!
Thanks so much to VKT   
for giving me this award!  Make sure you go over and check out her blog after..

She is an interesting lady, and I enjoy her writing..
BTW...sorry for taking so long to post this, but we had a hectic weekend...  :)

So..the idea for this award, is that you post ten things about yourself that others don't know
and then pass on this award to ten other people....so here gos..

1) I play guitar...I love it, but haven't played as much as I like the last couple of years.
I have played for about 12 years...my guitar is a Takamini..special edition Tibetan Alm..
Wouldn't want to give it up for anything.
It is very special to me, because about four years ago, we had a break in where I lived,
and the only things the person took, were my instruments...my keyboard, and two of my guitars.
My stolen guitar was worth quite a bit, and I had an emotional attachment to it, so I was heart broken...
BUT...
when people found out what happened...a very large donation was collected,
and I was given money to purchase the guitar I have now..which makes it very special to me....


2) I love to paint and draw, but haven't done it for a very very long time...due to kids and all...LOL!


3) I have five kids, but there are 17 years difference between my third daughter and my son...
My husband and I had been married 10 years before we decided we wanted children...and then the instigating factor was the loss of two close friends who reminded us of our mortality....One to leukemia and the other to a heart attack..both at just over 30 years old... It was our celebration of life...and our son is named after one of them...


4) I sing. I love to sing....mostly praise and worship, but I will sing anything...I sing all the time...to my kids, at home, at church....outside...in the car...LOL!


5) I am a bit of a hoarder, (which is funny because I hate clutter)  but working on it...LOL!


6) I have been married to my second husband for fifteen years this summer...
He is still my best friend after all these years...we have a blast together..
It has been a wild ride..


7) I am an introvert.. (although you would never know it)
..I dislike having people see who I really am...I am terrified they won't like me..
but I am working on it, and with God's grace have over come many of my insecurities...
Thank God for His life changing power...  :)


8) My pet peeve is being late.


9) I LOVE to travel, and don't get to do it near enough...


10) I am an adventure junky...and will do (almost) anything for an adrenalin high...again..
haven't been able to support this habit the last several years..  ;)

OK...so now I get to pass on this award to ten other amazing bloggers...
Here gos..
1) Bee and Rose
She is a must visit...I love her blog, and have been visiting her for a couple of years..check her out!

2) Gaining Insights

3) It's just life in the puddle  Sandi is not only a blogger friend, but I have actually been RL friends with her for at least 12 years...

4) Pull up your Potty seat, This could take a while

5) Hon, what's for dinner Her recipes make me drool....mmmmmmmmmrecipies....

6) A Little House on the Prarie  a friend in RL and in computer land... Her daily stories of her life with a house load of boys make me laugh....

OK, well unfortunately...my babes have decided I am only posting five awards...so I hope you have fun and enjoy anyways!

Have a great day!

Family!

Grandma and Talon!

Gracie has a rather frightening expression on her face...LOL!

Poor Grandma being forced into a game of jump off the table onto Grandma..

Grandma and Talon

Grand daughter Cassidy

Psycho jumping girl....

My daughter Bree with her room mates daughter Chloe

Chloe with her mommy

Jeremy

Cougars in Regina??

This article was in Regina's Leader Post today...

REGINA — Regina's bar district isn't the only place known for cougar sightings anymore.
Conservation officers are advising the public to be vigilant around Wascana Lake following a city bus driver's report of a cougar sighting in the area Wednesday night.
According to Gary Provencher, conservation officer with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, the animal was spotted around 10:12 p.m. when it crossed the path of a bus near the Conexus Arts Centre.
Aside from the reported sighting, Provencher said there's no evidence to suggest a cougar was in the area, but is still advising the public to be on the lookout.
"Chances are, it's long gone by now if there was one there. We just want to make sure people are aware of the report and to take precaution in that area," said Provencher, who doesn't believe the animal is a threat.
"Generally, they are shy animals and stay away from human interaction, but sometimes smaller children might be considered prey."
A spokesperson for the City of Regina said the bus driver declined to speak publicly about the sighting.
Provencher said the description of the animal matched that of a cougar, which is about two metres in length, stands about a metre tall at the shoulder, has a long tail and short light grey-brown or dark reddish-brown fur.
If the sighting is confirmed, Provencher believes it'll mark the first time a cougar has been seen in the city.
Although it's rare to see one in an urban setting, cougars aren't rare to Saskatchewan.
The province has an estimated population of around 300 cougars, which are often spotted in the Qu'Appelle Valley and South Saskatchewan River valley.
Cougars are known to cover an area of 200 to 300 square kilometres when searching for food, such as deer and rabbits, which are found at Wascana Centre.
Provencher suspects the sighting was likely of a younger cougar that's had few interactions with humans.
If a cougar does become a problem, a team of hounds could be used to track down the animal so conservation officers can move it to another region.
While there has been cougar attacks on humans and pets in B.C. and Alberta, Provencher said there's never been a human attack in Saskatchewan.
"Sometimes, they are a bit curious and that curiosity overrides their natural instinct to stay away from humans and they venture into an urban area," said Provencher. "It's unusual, but we are making every effort to confirm or disconfirm it was there."
Provencher advises to stay still if you do encounter a cougar. If it appears threatening, wave your arms and try to make yourself look bigger until it runs away.
Last week, a young bull moose was also attracted to the bright city lights. It made its way into the Whitmore Park area in south Regina before it was tranquilized by conservation officers and transported to the Condie Nature Refuge northwest of the city.

Friday Follow!!

Once again, it is Friday Follow here at One of hte Jones..
(Where we type like drunks due to horrific head colds and lots of Neo Citran...)



Feel free to follow along...(You wouldn't believe how many times I had to type that once sentence...)
It is all about getting to know other bloggers....Who can't get into htat right??
So...grab a coffee, and a seat...if you can crawl over all the toys in my house....and lets play!

Now for the rules...(copied) since i am typing challenged today...

 Welcome to the April 23 Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades!  We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs.  It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

• * Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops. 
• * Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
• * Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• * Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like
• * Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow
• * Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

Friday Follower of the Week!


Congratulations to Mommy Living the Life of Riley, this week's Friday Follower of the Week!  Each week we will randomly draw from all the links, one Friday Follower for the next week's Friday Follow, and the chosen blog will be placed in the highly coveted number 4 position on the blog hop.  We love your participation and want to give back to you! You could be next!
This is a Blog Hop! 533 entries so far... you're next!

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Judy's house...

Chloe

Amber

Kendal

Amber

Brandy and Grandma

Bree's room mate  (Sorry can't remember your name...  :(  )

Bree

Gracie has already found her cell phone...

I guess I can expect to see one of these plastered to her ear

for many years to come..  ;)

Amber

Chloe and mommy..

Auntie and Cassie

Wordless Wednesday!

Some old pictures of my girls in Williams Lake about 10 years ago...

For more Wordless Wednesday...
click here!

Kids are what makes Easter go round...

Ok, Bree...for real..no more procrastinating this time...
By the way, I figured out why I wasn't happy with my pics..
I had hit the AF button on my camera..
Still trying to figure it out...LOL!

Chloe

Amber
(She is my adopted daughter...)

Steve and my grand daughter Cassie

Daughter Gracie

My son Jeremy and Grand son Talon

Best friends...

Ok, sorry kiddo, that is all I have time for now..
I'm off to the library..
I know I should be more excited..but it usually just wears me out..
The kids get excited, and then have tantrums...
and everyone else's little angels..
sit and behave through story time...
while mine...
Well...we will just leave that one alone...  :)
Let's just say they are high spirited...
Have a great day everyone!