Hi Mimi!

22/365

I've been trying to work in manual mode- it's a challenge, that's for sure!  It's much easier to take pictures of objects that will sit still.  Henry does not!  These pictures were a bit fuzzy, not even considering his hand wave..."Hi Mimi!"  Changing them to black and white seemed to help that.  Anyway- I like it!

 

Frozen Pumpkin

24/365

Winter Basil

20/365

I don't think we'll be cooking with it!

Crafty Baby

What fun!  Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Henry came to spend the day Friday so we worked on our first "craft."  Now Henry is 14 months old so his participation was pretty involuntary.  Never underestimate a grandmother with a plan!

I saw somewhere online a turkey made with glue, a handprint, and spices.  It is totally adorable so we set out to recreate one.  Sure enough, Henry headed home Friday evening with his craft in a bag to present to Mommy and Daddy and hang on their refrigerator.

Supplies:

A white paper plate (we used Chinet).
Elmer's School Glue (or similar).
In a small bowl make a mixture of fall spices such as cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg.  A couple tablespoons is plenty.

Instructions:

1.  Get yourself a baby or small child.  Borrow one if necessary.
2.  Remove anything with long sleeves.  Having a baby wrangler (a second adult, like a Papa) is helpful.
3.  Squirt some school glue onto a saucer and then smear your subject's palm around in the glue, and then immediately place gluey hand with fingers spread as much as possible onto the center of the paper plate.
4.  Hand off baby to your baby wrangler to wash glue off BEFORE it gets on the table, his pants, and in his hair.
5.  Sprinkle spice mixture onto the glue handprint and shake around until all glue is covered with spices.  Let glue dry.
6.  Add feet, beak, and waddle with markers.
7.  Add an eye with paint or a googly eye from the craft store.
8.  Write Happy Thanksgiving, name, and date.
9.  Take a picture for posterity.
10.  Feel proud.

Love Mimi

"When a child is born, so are grandmothers.” Judith Levy


 Being a grandparent is one of the greatest joy in our lives. If you are a grandparent, you know what I'm talking about.  Our grandchildren are lucky enough to be on the receiving end of what we did not have when we were raising their parents...time. Total undivided attention. When Henry's daddy was a little boy, I had a job, a home to keep clean enough to be healthy, meals to fix, 2 other children to tend, and all the things that come with that busy life. We try as parents to give our kids that undivided one-on-one time, but it's simply not possible to devote yourself totally to one child when there are so many other responsibilities. Now with Henry...that's a different story. When Henry is in the house, we play. We build block towers and knock them down. We "vroom, vroom, vroom" his trucks. We read stories--the favorite ones over and over and over again. It never gets old. There is nothing I would rather be doing than being with him. Dirt can wait. Cooking can wait. Life is on hold while we totally enjoy this little boy. How well we know that he will not be little forever...we will certainly enjoy him while he is!

On that note, a poem to share...

Grandparental Advice Don't pamper the baby,

Don't run to each cry,

Don't rock that new infant

And don't lullaby.

Don't coddle or Cuddle,

That's all there is to it!

Don't spoil that sweet baby

 

Let us grandparents do it!

Shoes

19/365

This is a picture of Henry's shoes...I don't see anything else here...

 

And THIS...is a picture of Henry and his Mimi...

 

 

The Ladder

18/365

 

 

Well...what do you feel when you look at this photo?  Do you wonder what's going on at the other end?  Do you wonder if he's ever going to get the mud out of those shoes?  Do you wonder if he's going to misstep and put his foot into one of the ladder "holes," lose his balance, and have the whole thing tip over and land him on his back?  YEAH...ME TOO!  Oh...no?  Well, I have had this very unreasonable fear of climbing ladders for years and years.  Must be this happened to me in another life.  Two steps is all I can manage on a ladder because then when I put my foot through the "hole," lose my balance, and the whole thing topples over with me on the bottom, I'll probably survive it...haha! 

 

ACROPHOBIA
Excessive fear of heights, elevators, climbing ladders, pinnacles, etc.; fear of sharp points. 

#32

17/365

The Rochester Special Hockey, members of Special Hockey International - a division of USA Hockey; is an organization that specializes in providing training in the game of ice hockey for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Sunday evening we had the pleasure of attending the Rochester Ice Cats first game of the season.  A dear friend's son is on the team so family and friends turned out in force to cheer them on! 

My attention was soon drawn to #32, the goalie on the rival team...Greece Lightning...yes really...best hockey team name EVER...

I didn't know his name (but found it by the wonders of Google!), I wouldn't be able to pick him out of a lineup- I never actually saw his face.  I just saw his heart... 

He spent quite a bit of time coaching young Matthew.  What they were discussing we'll never know.  Parents and friends speculated what their lengthy conversation was about...

Maybe Matthew wants to be a goalie and is getting some tips.  Not sure, but it sure was cute to watch...and then we got on with the game~

With Coach Tammy watching closely and cheering the kids on, the beginners took the ice with varying degrees of assistance (A-frame sleds, parents, siblings, coaches, lots of support offered for these future superstars)

There’s a scramble for the loose puck in front of the net…led by #15 Diego Santiago. Goalie Ryan Hooper is helpless against this outpouring of offense!
.

Stick save and a beauty to keep the game close!

Ice Cats Score!!! What a wrist shot from the short side of the net, the goalie never had a chance.

The Lightning resort to desperate measures, stacking up 4 deep in the net in a desperate attempt to stem the flow of Ice Cats offense.

Tie game, which can only mean one thing…bonus hockey! We’re going to a shootout!!!

Even the beginners get a chance to go one-on-one with the goalie. He shoots, he scores!!!

Another shootout goal to seal the victory for the Ice Cats! What a game!!!

The greatest tradition in sports…the handshake line. Good game…good game…good game.

With special thanks to my son, Adam Schreiber, for providing the fantastic play-by-play of the action, and photo credit to Heather Lawler-Santiago for the darling picture above of future hockey stars Diego and Matthew.  This is hockey at its' best!

Upside Down? Rightside Up?

16/365

I've been a little remiss in posting my pictures...but I've been taking them.  Last Saturday we headed out to our camp on Black Creek in Churchville, New York, for an evening of fun and games with friends.  We got there just as the sun was setting, which gave me a chance to take a nice silhouette of the trees along the creek and the reflection in the water.  Is the picture upside down...or right side up?

Below is the original picture.  If you guessed upside down...you're right!

Baby Toes

15/365

There are so many wonderful photographic challenges to be found online.  There is, of course Project 365, #30thankfuldays on Instagram, a picture a day during each month with suggested themes.  There is even a "Fallen Princesses" theme where grown up Sleeping Beauty, Pocohontas, Belle, and others have come to somewhat questionable ends...it's quite entertaining!  It never ceases to amaze me how clever some people are in coming up with this stuff! 

Yesterday I saw a challenge called "Faceless Portraits."  The goal is to take a portrait of someone but don't include their face.  Today I took up the challenge.  The Young Prince (AKA Henry) was in residence so I took my usual few hundred pictures of him and snapped quite a few that did not include his face.  Below is my favorite.  He has unusual toes, so anyone who knows him knows that this is a picture of him.  I'm liking it...  Here is Henry with his favorite book of the week..."That's Not My Puppy."

Ho Ho Ho...Ho...Ho...Ho...

14/365

Oh I have missed painting!  Santas are my most favorite thing to paint.  I'm sharing a table at a craft show next week with my darling daughter and this week I've been painting some ornaments.  I had forgotten how much I love painting until I got started.  Who doesn't like Santas?!  Well I surely do...

Taking Off The Training Wheels

13/365

Did it!!!  I flipped into Manual mode this afternoon and took a bunch of pictures.  I was inspired by Courtney's picture today.  I looked at the settings she used, got up from my desk, got my camera and my prime lens and started snapping.  First I used Courtney's settings and my picture was too dark.  Then I started flipping through the shutter settings...flip, click...flip, click...flip, click...There was a lot of trial and error.  There was really nothing noteworthy, but I did start to get a sense of which shutter speed lets more light in so that's progress.  I'm really going to try hard to take more and more manual shots.  No guts, no glory!

I did manage a picture of this guy with manual settings and no flash.  It is SOTC...pretty good!

 

I also took a few pictures of Miss Lucy.  I tried explaining to her that she needed to hold still so I could take a bunch of pictures and see which one was the best camera setting...

 

 

 

She didn't...

Winter Garden

12/365

Snow...  cold... brrrrr... Believe it or not, this is not a black and white picture.  I just sharpened a bit, brightened a bit and added some contrast and a vignette.  Next summer the bee balm will be back in it's full glory, and for now it makes for a pretty winter garden.

Silhouette

11/365

They say that the best camera is the one you have with you.  It's pretty lame, but generally what I have with me is my iphone so today is another quickie- but I did plan it.  I've been wanting to learn how to do silhouette pictures.  I read on a blog that on a cellphone you set the exposure ring for the bright area- outdoors or the sky, and the focus on the person or object you want silhouetted.  Hey...it works!  You've got to be pretty fast with a 14 month old...I'll try again but I think the concept works.  Now I just  need to figure out how to do it with my big camera!

Sweet New Neighbors

10/365

Today I shot a Christmas card for my new darling young neighbors.  They are very sweet and just starting out with their daughter- this is her first Christmas.  This time I took 107 pictures but got 4 that they like and 2 more that I like...PROGRESS!  Hahaha!  Presenting Miss Willow and her Mommy and Daddy.

Amazed by Apps

9/365

I find myself saying more and more often, "What's it going to be like in 10 years???!!!"  Technology is advancing at an incredible speed.  10 years ago I got my first digital camera, an Olympus, and it cost about $600.  It couldn't begin to do the things my $1.99 app from the iTunes store can do!  I took the picture below at my son and daughter-in-law's farm this morning.  I thought when I took it I might play around with black and white some more... oh my goodness...THIS is what I came up with...all for $1.99...


My original shot taken with my iphone 4S.

 

 

My edits using the BeFunky app...

 

 

 

My edits using Hello Camera's Art section...

 

 

 

 

So, I repeat... "What's it going to be like in 10 years?!  Maybe I'll think to myself, "I'd like a picture of that..." and it'll happen!  I'd be happy if my big camera "apps" were a little more user friendly!  Picture taking with an iphone is fun!

 

 



Merry & Bright

8/365

This will be our Christmas card this year...our precious Henry.  I used my prime lens but I don't really know how to use it very well.  I took 60 pictures and got 1 that I really like.  Well...I did get 1!  If anyone can give advice on taking Christmas light pictures with an active toddler, advise away!!!

Sad Little Kitty

7/365

This is Dexter...well I don't really know what his name is but I'm going to call him Dexter.  He's a feral cat who has come into our neighborhood.  I find myself wanting to know what his story is.  Was he born in the wild?  Did his family abandon him when they moved?  Was he out playing when they left and they couldn't find him?  Whatever his story...I'm very sad for him.  He's not friendly but not really unfriendly either.  He'd really rather I don't touch him so I don't.  I saw him a few days ago in the back yard- although I didn't see any injuries, he was moving kind of slow and looked tired.  I put some food out and the next day it was gone, but wasn't sure who actually ate it.  More food the next day and by the next morning that too was gone.  Yesterday I took the food container out in the early afternoon and shook it and he came running and ate and ate.  That's when I discovered he'd really rather not be petted...  I asked my husband if he would build a feral cat house and with no hesitation he said, "Of course."  I've put posts all around to see if somebody knows Dexter and is missing him, but so far no luck.  Winter is fast approaching.  I'd love to take him in and try to give him a nice home, but I've already got 2 cats who would not be happy about that.  What to do...what to do?  If I take him to the Humane Society I know they will euthanize him.  Would that be a kindness?  It doesn't feel like it... For now I guess I'll just feed him and try to keep him warm.  Sad...

Lousy quality cellphone picture, but it was the camera at hand...

Bringing home the hay...

6/365

Or is it straw?  Hay is for horses...straw is for houses...  I expect it's straw since they are bringing it home in November.  I've learned a lot about hay and straw in the last few days due to a feral cat...but that's a story for another day.  Today it's all about a golden field and an awesome John Deere!

Genesee Country Village

5/365

I've been wanting to shoot some pictures that look good in black and white.  I love when other folks put their black and white shots up- but mine just look like I forgot my color film that day!  Yesterday Jim and I headed out to Genesee Country Village where he works as a volunteer to make a delivery.  I took my camera because what would look better in a black and white picture than an old village?  We spent about 45 minutes roaming around all by ourselves as the village is closed for the winter.  I want to go back!  No tourists to get in the way of THE SHOT!  hahaha!  This is my favorite today...

 

I also like this one!