twenty four / 52

twenty four / 52 happy*, a photo by .Jen likes to snap pics* on Flickr.

happy*

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller


.... from tonight's walk. Seeing these daisies made me smile and feel happy. They are growing all over the place in a field that was set to be new condos.
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School is over and the kids are happy to have the summer off. Of course, having football skills camp and marching band practice every day really isn't having the summer off. At least they don't have to be up until 8 am. ;-)

twenty three / 52

twenty three / 52 long exposure*, a photo by .Jen likes to snap pics* on Flickr.

long exposure*

Once again, I didn't have much time to take a shot for this theme. I was on my way home from Meijer when I decided I was going to stop at the park and get my shot for the week taken. I had milk in the car, so I only stayed for a minute or two.
I haven't done much shooting long exposures. I'm not sure it's my kind of photography. BUT.... I did it. lol Not sure if it was done right though. I had my aperture as small as it would go but the shutter speed wasn't that slow. anyhow.
The guys in the background were fishing and just caught a really big fish. Shouts could be heard around the pond. It was the mack-daddy of the fish swimming in this pond.  
The kids are finishing up school this week. They have finals on Monday and Tuesday and then they are done! It's going to be weird saying that I have a junior and senior. Oh my! Where did the time go?

twenty two / 52

twenty Two / 52 hot, hot, hot*, a photo by .Jen likes to snap pics* on Flickr.

hot, hot, hot*

not much to say this week.... until next time. ♥

twenty one / 52

twenty one / 52 still life*, originally uploaded by .Jen likes to snap pics*.

still life*


hmmph! Not much time to throw together a "Classic" still life shot. So instead I went with the eggs. Emily made this last year in art class. I love this little lop-sided bowl.

twenty / 52

twenty / 52 my passion*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

my passion*

No.... my passion is not mushrooms... I can't really say that I'm passionate about anything. Of course I'm passionate about my kids, hubby, my family. I didn't have the opportunity to photograph them this week. Actually, I should say that they were not willing to let me photograph them.
I wasn't going to post this week... just feeling blue, losing Simon and all. The more I thought I about it I realized I am passionate about something. I love taking pictures, processing them and creating images. I notice that while I'm driving I'm on the look-out for things to take photos of. I see the little things that usually go unnoticed. The kids often ask me why I'm taking pictures of inanimate objects. Well, it's because I see beauty in little things. I want to capture it somehow.
While I was trying to take pictures of Milo the other day, I saw 2 tiny little mushrooms growing in the grass. Somehow they survived the little pup as he ran ramped through the backyard. Of course, he saw me trying to get a shot of them in the grass and he stepped on them. So I plucked the last one up and shot it against the green bush.

Simon says*

Simon says*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

Simon was adopted in the summer of 1999. Our family was young. David was going to be starting kindergarten. Emily was going to be starting pre-school. Mike got the job at Ford and Simon was bought with part of his first paycheck. I'll never forget that night coming home from my part-time job at Jo-Ann etc. Mike met me outside and asked me how much I loved him. My first reaction was "why are you asking me this"? He didn't say why. I came inside and everything appeared as usual. The kids were winding down and I would be getting them ready for bed soon. I heard something. It was fast yet short breaths. I looked around and here was this little fat, black puppy lying under my end table. I was not happy. I didn't think we needed this dog. Mike said he was too cute not to love. He eventually grew on me. He was a perfect dog for our family. He followed the kids around everywhere. He was so gentle with them. He turned out to be a wonderful dog. He went on our family vacations up-north and loved swimming in the lake and going on the boat. He was scared of thunder storms and fireworks. He always greeted you when you came home.
He grew up with our family. And how we have grown up too. Soon David will be a senior in high school and Emily a junior. Mike's job at Ford was not what we expected. I left that little job at Jo-Ann and have gone on to bigger and better things with Chase.
Simon grew old, just like we all do. His time with us ended May 20, 2011. He still had his spunk and sweetness but he was in pain and we had to do what was best. It is very hard on our family to lose a pet. Why we do it, I don't know. But the unconditional love they give us is well worth it. It's going to be hard living without him, hearing his heavy tail wagging on everything, his hot breaths breathing on you, begging for a treat. Life does go on and Simon will always be in our memories.

nineteen / 52

nineteen / 52 flowers*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

flowers*

I’ll call these "wishing flowers".
I have some yard work to do… these are about 18 inches tall! omg!!
These are the closest thing to a flower that I’ve seen in my yard. I didn’t venture out (with my camera) to capture any flowers this week.
Yesterday, Friday, my birthday, I took the day off to relax by myself. I got Emily’s ipod touch out and downloaded the Instagram app. I love the retro, vintage effects you can apply to your pics. So I snapped away in my yard before I headed to my massage. It was nice! I’m feeling better too. My back is always hurting me. It’s not so bad today. I just may have to make this a regular thing.

eighteen / 52

eighteen / 52 sooc*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

sooc*

The theme is straight out of camera... no adjusting the colors or sharpness, no cropping, etc.


My spring is finally here!

... I would have loved to be closer to my subject. I really want a macro lens!

I must play and get creative with my photos. It's just fun. The final image is over at flickr. Click *** if you'd like to see it.

seventeen / 52

seventeen / 52 rkitekjer, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

for the theme.... architecture... not interested in the theme but I took the pikjer for the sake of it. This was taken at the mall near me.
So David wants to be an architect... yeah...
I'm really not into this blogging and talking... can you tell?

sixteen / 52

sixteen / 52 reflections*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

reflections*

Taken on the hood of my car...
Not much to say this week... Finishing up a wet and cold Spring Break and vacation. Had a nice relaxing few days in my pj's.

fifteen / 52

fifteen / 52 if I only had time*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

if I only had time*

Oh! I have a list of items "if I only had time." I tried to capture some of them for the theme this week.
If I only had more "ME" time. Maybe I'd pay more attention to details. ;-)
If I only have time I'd pursue my passion for photography more seriously. I'd love to take classes, start up a business, sell some prints.... ya' know?
If I only had time I'd read more....
If I only had time I'd travel (if I only had more money, too). I'd love to go to Paris! To see Europe and the UK. I'd love to sit on a beach with sand between my toes and a cold drink in my hand.
If I only had time to learn a new hobby. Crochet or knitting, maybe?

***edited to add that Milo kept stealing my set-up. I had arranged all my trinkets and went to get my camera. When I came back into the room Milo did his "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, roll to his back" as he dropped a shell. Something else called me out of the room and while I was gone, I heard a tumble and a crash. The Eiffel Tower somehow fell over. Hmmm.... Now, that explains the fine grains of sand all over the table and the books.
Later on that night, Mike and I were watching TV and it was dark. Milo came running through the room and back out and then back in. He was tangled in yarn. The yarn was through-out the entire house. It was so funny. He's a crazy dog, that Milo.

textures by SkeletalMess & SKC Photography

fourteen / 52

fourteen / 52 motion*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

motion*

Another boring shot... I can't wait to get out of this photo funk!
Milo chasing tennis balls... his favorite pass time.

thirteen / 52

thirteen / 52 high key*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

high key*
This week we were supposed to do a high key shot.... well, I don't really know exactly what high key is and I don't care to learn right now. I just wanted to get my photo in. So this is as high key as I'm going to get.

This morning, Emily had to be at a Tennis Invitational. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and a bagel. I decided to pick up a treat for Mike and David. This is the kind David said that he wanted. I am a Bavarian Kreme fan so I got some of those, too.

Oh!! And I have to add.... I passed our audit!! *woo-hoo* *happy-dance*

twelve / 52

twelve / 52 decay*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

decay*
Decaying leaves from my abandoned garden... waiting for a warm spring day to clean up... an old abandoned toy truck.

I am ready for this brown, dead decaying earth to pop with greens, yellows, pinks and other spring-time colors. I am in need of warm sunshine and warm air. I can't wait for the weather to understand that it's SPRING!
How is life treating you? I'd love to hear.
I am glad that this week is over. It was stressful. My favorite auditor showed up Tuesday. I had to take the kids to an appointment in the morning and I was a nervous wreck. I've been through this plenty of times and each time I'm so nervous. She even asked me when I was going to calm down. After a few minutes of friendly conversation I began to relax. I tell you, it was not relaxed inside. She was there for 3 days. Friday wasn't any better. It's over now. I can sort of breathe easy. At least until April 5, when I find out my results. Until then....

eleven / 52

eleven / 52 texture*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

texture*
This is a globe that my brother had when we were kids. I remember how cool this globe was. I would sit for periods of time looking at all the countries. I could feel the different elevations and mountains. So my shot for the week is of this "textured" globe. I know that's not the technical term.
My heart goes out to the people in Japan. They are facing such turmoil and despair. I can't put it all together and understand all the pain and hurt they must be feeling. And the sense of worry and unknowing with the nuclear plants.
I have a cousin (and I'm not telling you this so you can feel sorry) that works for Toyota. He's there right now, in Japan. He won't be home for another few months. He says everything is ok where he is. He is much further south of the disaster. I am very worried about him right now.

ten / 52

ten / 52 vanishing point*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

vanishing point*
...taken at Taylor's Heritage Park. This fence is part of the Petting Farm.
I realize, now that it's too late, that I came very close to chopping off this fence. Not what I wanted to do to demonstrate "Vanishing Point". Oh well....

nine / 52

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, originally uploaded by Joe Gazzarato.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Shot for Week 9 of my “52 of Twenty Eleven” flickr group given the theme of “Diptych” which is a collaboration project where two photographers make separate images and then they are combined into one image in post processing.

Joe Gazzarato was kind enough to collaborate with me. We debated a few concepts and settled on this. I shot my hands and he shot the ice cream.

eight / 52

eight / 52 Looking through a window*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

Looking through a window*
This is a view of my patio looking through my patio doors. All of this white stuff melted this past week. We even had some 50° (F) days. I had a feeling we wouldn't be seeing the grass for long. Oh well... it does make for a pretty view. The snow adds a layer of freshness to a grungy winter's day. Just as I am posting this, there was a big crack of thunder! wow!!
I felt that this photo was lacking something. Not one of my best, or what I had in mind, as usual. I took the photo for the sake of "getting this done". I felt that it wasn't creative. That is why I went with this texture. Not to say that this texture is creative. I played with different tools in Gimp, unapplied them, and then decided to go with this one. I wanted to "make" something, and this is what I came up with.

seven / 52

LoVe*

She loves him. He loves her. 

We headed to Winter Blast on Sunday. Emily saw a few people walking around with some hats on that she really wanted. Needless to say she got one. It's big and furry and looks like a stuffed animal's head with the ears. When we got home, she asked me to take her picture with Milo. I am a little biased but I think this turned out pretty darn good. 

six / 52

six / 52 shadow*, originally uploaded by Jen likes to snap pics*.

shadow*

We were baking cookies tonight, when I saw this shadow. I knew I had to use this for this week's theme.