Here is a crocus budding.

I love the dark purple of the bud and the tight unfurledness of it.

When I saw this, I actually thought that was as far as the flower was going to bloom.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw this:

See how that one on the right ended up all rounded and pretty? I was happy to see that.

So, then you can imagine how thrilled I was when it opened up even more.

I was really shocked to see the bright orange center. It looked so sharp against the purple. In this photo, I was trying to capture the streaks going into the center of the flower, but it ended up a little over-exposed. But I still like the overall symmetry of the petal (multiples of 3 again).

That one is my favorite (in large). I spent quite a while getting that photo.

And now I really appreciate crocuses. They are quite pretty once you stop and look at them carefully. Happy Friday everyone!

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I watched Pride and Prejudice the other week on DVD. Although I have a "movie" category, I almost never put anything in it, because most of the time I feel like I'd be spoiling something to talk about it. In this instance, I think I can talk about the movie without spoiling anything for anyone.

Here's what has compelled me to blog about this movie, for once I really liked the story! You have to understand, I read a lot of historical romance and historical fiction. In fact, it is almost the only thing I do read. And I've read a lot of good love stories. So the story of Elizabeth not liking Mr. Darcy for the duration of the story and then suddenly having this huge change of heart always REALLY bothered me.

I'm naturally drawn to stories where the couple are friends first and have lots of moments of laughter and fun before deciding to date or while dating. After all, that is what happened with every guy I dated, so it is what is believable to me. All of them, we laughed and joked around first and then dated. HB is the epitome of that, because we became SUCH good friends that we each had a fear of 'ruining' our friendship by dating (with the fear of a break-up being devasting to our friendship as well). But lucky us! It all worked out. Suffice to say that those are the relationships I understand. And I've never understood how Mr. Darcy could have some sort of love for Elizabeth when all she has ever said to him were witty, but rather nasty, things. But in this adaptation of the book, I was finally convinced.

It is interesting too, because I ended up watching it in two parts. When I stopped it, I'd seen too much of her screeching mother and her giggling sisters for comfort. She had turned down the proposal of Mr. Collins. I felt like I'd gotten nowhere in the movie for an entire hour. So, a week passed, because I just wasn't in the mood to pick it back up again. But the second half! Ohhhhh the second half is far far better than the first. The cinematography seemed better, the music seemed better. Elizabeth's character finally showed some depth to it. Mr. Darcy's proclamation of love still seemed really out of place, but by the end of it, you can see how she would grow to be affectionate toward him. Although for me, to hear her say she loved him was still a bit of a stretch.

And the ending scenes were real jewels. The scene where she explained to her father why she wanted to marry Mr. Darcy is probably the scene that clinched the movie for me. Up until that point, I just wasn't convinced. But in addition to convincing her father, she is convincing the audience of her love. And for once, I was finally convinced. It made the final scenes all the more touching and precious because of that. I really did want the story to keep going. I wanted to see more beautiful scenes and hear more beautiful music. I think the casting of the movie was brilliant. Of course though, ever since I saw Bend It Like Beckham, I've been a Keira Knightley fan. So, I was thrilled to see her in the lead role. I really enjoyed it and am glad that we own the DVD, because I probably will want to go back and see it again.

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I hope you did better than I did this week. How YOU doin'?

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More tulip pictures this week, remember?

In that picture up above, I want you to look really closely at something. Look at the tulip at 6 o'clock (or well, 5:30, to be precise).

Notice anything different about that tulip?

Well, it has multiples of 4 for everything, while the rest of the tulips have multiples of 3. Inside the tulip, you can see 8 black/brown stamens. Then in the center, the stigma has 4 parts to it. And the petals are in multiples of 4, while every other flower has multiples of 3.
It is like the 4-leaf clover of tulips!

And really pretty too, isn't it?

And here is one with multiples of 3.

Also really lovely with the way the light is shining through the petals, I thought.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I broke up these pictures (mostly) so that last week was all of the photos of the outer petals and this week is the inner parts of the flowers.

Here are my favorites.

and the large version

and the large version

I think that for those last 2, I'm going to have to get them enlarged and framed. They turned out better than I'd dreamed they could.

I hope you enjoyed them too. And enjoyed the little lesson about the tulips with multiples of 3 and 4.

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Doesn't she look like she's got the right idea?

So precious. Wee little pink nose. Our cuteness.

But don't wake her up while she is sleeping. No sirreee Bob. Or she will keeeel you.

There is a strict 3:00/4:00 p.m. wake up time when the sun is starting to fade and before that? just fuGEDabowdit.

okay. Now that we got that cleared up, we can go back to admiring the cuteness.

All tucked in.

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I forgot to put this photo in my previous post. So, I'm just going to put it here.

My goal was to make it look like some yellow pin heads were in focus and at a totally different depth of field than the majority. I think it worked out.

I set this up in a really goofy way in order to be able to photograph it and get enough light.

In other news, I also created a slideshow of photos from the sewing project that I forgot to mention. You have to be logged into Flickr in order to see the 14 photos. :-)

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While Texas Seestor was here, we tackled a sewing project.

I'd gotten the idea while we were staying in hotels in Boston that one way of decorating a bedroom is to use a white comforter or bedspread and then to make something akin to a table runner to go across the bottom of the bed for decoration. This would be the same idea as a folded up blanket that someone might put at the bottom of the bed for decoration.

The advantage of doing this is two-fold
1. you only have to make a small 'part' of a blanket in the expensive fabric and
2. it is relatively simple to change with another one of a different design and thus you get a new bedroom look just by changing this bed runner, as I'm calling it.

Perhaps a picture would help.

We still don't have the white bedspread. That will come next. But you can see how having that across the bottom of the bed really spices up the bed. spicey! haHA! I'm all about the spicier beds.

But I digress.

*ahem*

We started with two layers of fabric and batting between. That got safety-pinned together every 5 inches or sew (pun intended).

We rolled it up to protect it for the night, but also because to get it through the sewing machine to do the quilting, it had to be rolled up.

See how half of it is all rolled up to go through the machine? Texas Seestor who has lots of quilting experience started it off and did the majority of one half. Then I pitched in and did three or four lines at the end. And because I liked quilting sew much (sew much, I crack me up!) and I was on a roll (it just gets better and better) I did the next half.

See the roll. Get it. On a roll?

Maybe I'm the only one thinking this is funny. I'll stop now. (as if I could)

Texas Seestor did the sewing on the binding. It was tricky and well, I was talking to SeaQueen on the phone at the time and we really did want to get the bed runner done.

Isn't it pretty?

I love the material.

And as it turned out, Texas Seestor and Trainwreck got snowed in here on Monday the 13th, so we got to make the throw pillows! I actually did 3 of them without assistance.

She and I did the dark blue one with the stripe of material first, and from that I was good to go on the rest. The tootsie roll white one was really fun to make because it didn't require me to sew them shut by hand after putting the stuffing in.

I'm all about the throw pillows now. I couldn't believe how easy it was to whip those puppies out! And sewing them shut by hand didn't take all that long either. I can't wait to paint our reading room next, then I can make throw pillows to match. Oh and that greenish one is batik fabrics. I couldn't believe all of the gorgeous batik fabrics you can buy! It makes me want to sew and sew.

All in all, I love the freedom of sewing and no longer being bound by what I can buy in a store. And it is fun to create something beautiful yet functional (or decorative) out of a simple piece or pieces of cloth. Who knew!? heee!

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I have a belated story to go with this week's entry.

While Texas Seestor was here, she encouraged me to buy a Cardio Pilates DVD. Then she insisted that we do the DVD together. Now, mind you, I'd had the flu a couple days before and was, well, gassy, to put it mildly.

So, we start this DVD and one of the very first positions the instructor wants us to do is this crazy ass rocking thing where you put your legs out straight at an angle in front of you, you grab your ankles and then rock back onto your back and then rock forward into this position again. I'd do pictures, but I'm just not up for it right now.

With conviction, I jut my legs out at an angle and grab my ankles and then I pause, because I feel this urge. Well, I blithely ignore the urge and rock back and toooooooooooot! Yes, indeedy, the urge was not going to be ignored.

Texas Seestor was willing to take the high road and ignore that I'd just toooted really very loudly while contorting myself into this odd position, but I started giggling. And we all know what happens when you are gassy and start giggling, right?
It Just. Gets. Worse. and Goes Downhill From There.
toot tooot toooooooooooooooot Giggle giggle giggle Then SHE starts giggling and it just snowballs.
Finally, I pause the DVD to go to the bathroom and to wipe the tears from my eyes from giggling.

You've heard of Richard Simmon's Sweatin' to the Oldies, right?

Well, I think this DVD will now be known as Tootin' to Pilates.

How did you do this week?

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These are the tulips that Texas Seestor and Trainwreck gave me for my birthday.

They had fascinating curls in their petals.

But the best part of all is how the petals change from red to orange to yellow with yellow streaks.

In certain lights, they almost looked like they were on fire.

I love getting the position just right to really make them glow.

And you know that I had to take some really close up shots right?

Just a reminder of what we are looking at (roughly)

And close up

That one is my favorite close-up shot. Here is the link to the large version.

There will be more next week. I've taken so many shots of these tulips that I really love, that I'm breaking them into 2 posts. But most of my favorites are in this one. shhhhh don't tell the others. ;-)

All photos were taken with Dee-Dee, my Nikon D70. The very close-up shots (i.e. macro shots) were taken with Kenko Extension Tubes and a Vivitar 70-210 mm lens. All photos were taken with a tripod and the self-timer.

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I had a really fantastic birthday weekend. It was really more like a four-day weekend with the snow day on Monday and all. But I digress. It kind of all started on Friday when my sister's husband, Trainwreck, flew into town. While we were at the grocery story buying boring stuff for supper, they bought me tulips for my birthday! I carried them around the store while Trainwreck pushed the cart.

When we got home, Texas Seestor helped me get them trimmed off and in a vase and then I spent a while taking photos in the perfect afternoon light. Alas, I realized later that I'd had my camera on the wrong setting the whole time and the exposures were off.

We went for a long walk.

We noted the thawing of the ice on the lake, the geese that flew overhead and the beauty of the setting sun as it shown through the clouds.

We also played some on the jungle gym equipment.

Heeee!

The next day was highlighted by a fabulous breakfast that was late enough to tide us over through lunch. AND it was That Day that we went rollerskating! It was so much fun! No pictures of that event, because I didn't want to take Dee-Dee in and lock her up in a locker between photo shoots. But I have a feeling that I'll be going with Amber to adult skate night one of these times and maybe I'll take the camera for that round.

That night we watched X-men 2 (or X2) and it was fabulous. How can you not love a good action movie like X2. Coolness, I tell you. And gotta be prepared for the 3rd one that comes out in May.

My actual birthday was perfect! I started the morning off with a photo shoot of the tulips that actually looks really really good. You'll seee those on Friday(s).

During a phone conversation with my parents, Texas Seestor and Trainwreck decorated this level of the house with drink umbrellas.

Readers will surely recall my JOY over drink umbrellas.

Texas Seestor and I went shopping for clearance shirts AND, GET THIS, when we took it to the cash register to get it rung up, everything was an ADDITIONAL fifty percent off! I'd have thought I was on candid camera but I asked the clerk and he said that anything long-sleeved or considered "winter wear" was an additional 50% off! I got shirts for $5 and $12 that would normally have been 30 and 50. Cooooooooool, huh?

Then we had lunch and went bowling and met up with Amber, Andy, and Jonah. Amber and Andy got me a book I've been lusting after for a while.

As for the bowling, on my very first throw, I got a strike! If it had counted, I'd have won the game that day. But someone I know *ahem* deleted it, because he wanted to win. We *ahem* know who you are, hb. Oh wait, that was a practice frame, riiiiiiiiiiiiight. ;-)

But I know I'm a winner. And I had lots of fun. The music to bowl to was pretty good. There is a slideshow on Flickr.

And afterward, for my Birthday Supper, we all went to Outback Steakhouse! It was fabulous!

And the best part about the huge snowstorm that happened overnight was that Texas Seestor and Trainwreck got to stay for an extra day and I finally made the birthday cake!

We also played snow baseball. HB threw snowballs at us and we smacked them with the shovel. Most importantly, it gave Texas Seestor and I more time to work on our special sewing project. "Sewing project?" you ask. Ahhhh... that is a future post all by itself.

For now, suffice to say that it was a fabulous birthday 4-day weekend.

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The best part about Making Your Own birthday cake

is getting to lick the icing spatula to your heart's content!

Y.U.M.

chocolate raspberry cake + Ghirardelli double-chocolate frosting = purrrrrrrrrrrfect

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This is it! This is it. This is life, so go ahead, go and have a ball! - Theme song from One Day at a Time

How did you do this week?

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details that were only observant in the previous post if you looked at the original photos on flickr.

*GRIN*

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As the pollen slowly opens...

I recommend the large on that one.

When the pollen is open it waves hello.

best in large

This next one is dark and mysterious, but I still really like it for the way the pollen glows.

in large

All photos were taken with my brand new Kenko extension tubes and Vivitar 70-210 mm macro zoom from Dad. The extension tubes are a birthday/graduation gift from Mom and Dad, amongst other things that they have given me. The zoom lens is the one I introduced to you in that squirrel post, remember?

The tubes and the lens bring me closer than I could've gotten with my kit lens.

Here is an example of the closest that I can get with my normal (kit) lens.

I'm excited to have the extension tubes. I know these aren't perfect, but they are my first attempt, so I wanted to share them with you.

Plus, it's Friday! And is there a better day to share pics of flowers? Not hardly! Friday is BEST.

or BESTest, if you are feeling goofy-woofy like I am.

Hope you all have a great Friday and weekend. My birthday is on Sunday, so I know that _I'll_ be having a great weekend.

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After the walk that Dad took with both Texas Seestor and I, he was overheard telling Mom on the phone

"Well, we walked for 45 minutes, but it might as well have been an hour for as fast as we went."

"Those girls about walked my legs off! I'm an inch shorter from wearing my legs off!"

*grin*

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"Ooooo Bay-beee Bay-beh, oh bay-bee bay-behhhhh. Push it. Push it real good" sings Salt-N-Pepa.

Work it, girl.

How did you do this week on exercising activity?

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This was one of the red tulips in the bouquet of tulips that I told you about previously.

The large version is quite impressive too.

One of the striking things about these red tulips is the ring of blazing yellow.

I hope that these photos bring some brightness into your day and that you are having a good day today.

I send a hug out across the internet to each and every one of you.

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