County Fair Photo Entries 2016

Greetings and salutations! XD

Our county fair opens in about two weeks, and I’m so excited! These are my entries for the photography section of the fair. (The fair categories are in bold). The links will take you to the post where the photo was first featured on my blog. Enjoy!

Abstract: {Flower Overload, Part 2}

Action: {The View from the Roof}

Artistic (which means creative photo editing): {CWWC}

Close Up: {More Snow Pictures!}

Humorous: {Bunny Therapy}

Landscape: {Vacation, Part 1: Niagara Falls}

Patriotic: {Boom, Crackle, Bang!}

People: {The View from the Roof}

Pets: {Meet Casey the Kitten}

Pictorial: {Mystery Revealed! #8}

Rural (Um, I’ll take out the county name): {Gone Fishing}

Wildlife: {BIBPC  #2: Praying Mantis’ Feast (and Other Critters)}

There we go – a few photography highlights from 2016. 🙂

Which photo was your favorite? Do you have an annual fair where you live? Do you enter things in it?

**Allison**

P. S. Hayley and I are renovating Art Lab! We’re adding a few more artists to the group and starting it up again. We’re also going to collect and repost all of the Art Lab posts onto the official Art Lab blog, so you can scroll through the posts with ease. 🙂 You can follow it if you like! Hopefully there will be an Art Lab post up tomorrow. 😀

The Warm and the Fuzzy: Part 1

Hee hee, I love that title. XD

My camera is loaded down with adorable pictures of bunnies, kittens, puppies, and other cute things. You’re going to get several doses of cuteness because I have too many pictures to fit in one post! Today I shall begin with bunnies.

Ahem. (Note: I edited most of these pictures.)

Willow:

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I love her little ear tufts. XD
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Look! I got a picture of her licking the cage! (Wait, Willow, why are you licking the cage?)

 

Diamond:

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Clemmie: (CutePolarBear, here are lots of pictures of Clementine, as you wished. 😉 )

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AWWWW! It looks like she’s praying. XD

I don’t have as many of Lily and Olaf because they weren’t in the photoshoot on the deck. :/

Lily:

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Olaf: (with Clementine and Diamond’s rump XD )

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This is a sneak peek of next Warm and Fuzzy post. (Hint, it hast to do with an animal that starts with “c” and is in both of these pictures. 😛 )

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AWWWW THAT’S SO CUTE!

Did you like it? Let me guess… yes! 😀 What was your favorite picture? Who was your favorite bunny?

***Allison***

P. S. I wanted to do the room makeover post today, but we weren’t quite finished with our decorations. Hopefully tomorrow!

Lily and Friends

It’s been a while since my last bunny post, hasn’t it? So do you want to see one? (Hint: the answer is yes. XD )

Let’s start with some ancient pictures. A warm day was perfect for a bunny bath in a wheelbarrow – except that the bunnies don’t like baths. XD Well actually Lily doesn’t mind them too much. She’s well-insulated, I guess. 😀

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Lily is casually hanging out, Diamond is panicking, and Olaf smells something.
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Bath Commander Lily, at the alert.
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SOO CUTE!

These are more recent photos of yet another bunny bath. I LOVE YOU, LILY! Ahem.

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Doesn’t Lily look so pretty? And then Olaf’s ears have to photobomb the picture…
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Lily the Squishy, sitting proudly in a clover patch.
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My cousin says that it looks like bunnies are “saying their prayers” when they clean themselves. So it does! 😀

Now she has to dry off… on a roof, apparently. XD

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Humph.

 

Lily has a certain “flattening trick” which she shall demonstrate for you:

Replay!

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Quite impressive, Lily, if I do say so myself.

Clementine can’t miss out…

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Say “Hay,” Clemmy

And last but not least, a bonus photo of Willow the Fluffy – hopefully soon to be mother to baby fluffies! 😀 😀 😀 I can’t wait!

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I hope that brightened your day. 🙂 Which was your favorite picture? Do you have any rabbits?

***Allison***

BIPBC #6: Epic Puddle Splashing + Random Pics

Howdy, and welcome to Allison’s BIBPC entry #6! XD The theme this time was “Action”! Behold, action! (I’m entering the first picture.)

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Ha ha, isn’t that great!

Story behind the picture: I took this a couple of years ago after there was a flash flood which resulted in ginormous puddles near our creek! (Another time, I don’t know if it was that time, we floated down the flash-flood-swollen creek in an inner tube. Which proceeded to pop. XD XD XD ) My siblings thought it would be neat if I could take pictures of them splooshing through the water, and they were right! In the picture I’m entering, Megan and Jefferson are glorying in mud-puddle bliss. Look at the expression on Jeff’s face! (If you can see it.) Pure joy. 😀 Oh, and I think it was this same flash-flood when the boys drove our three-wheeler through the water. XD Ahh, good times.

Since this is a pretty short post, I thought I’d add a few more random photos I took recently.

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Maggie rolling her cares away. XD She looks like a headless dog. O.o
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A random picture of gone-to-seed asparagus. XD
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Willow my adorable fluffy rabbit! ♥
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Dandelion in the golden sun
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Gorgeous spring-green leaves!

Which picture was your favorite?

Have a good great amazing STUPENDOUS day! 😀 ♥

***Allison***

Rabbits and Mud Fights

It was gorgeous this afternoon! Even though it’s February, it’s 63 degrees Fahrenheit out there, and boy it feels nice! Isn’t it so funny how 60 degrees feels steaming in winter and freezing in summer? 😀 Anyway, my cousin, my siblings, and I took the bunnies down to our creek (more of a trickle, really) to play with them… and also the mud. My brother Jefferson wheeled some of the bunnies down in a wheelbarrow. XD

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Willow wants a ride!

It was wondrous to lay in the grass and soak up the sun with a couple of warm fluffy bunnies beside you. Ahhhhh! When the bunnies started to get adventurous, we made a little “house” for them from umbrellas and a big bucket. It was so cute to watch them poke their little noses out from under the umbrellas, and hop around in the grass. 🙂

-Allison(at the creek with bunnies, clay table) 016 (1280x960)My sister Megan was trying to keep up with her bunny, Clementine. Clemmy sure had a lot of energy, and she wasn’t going to let a puny ol’ leash stop her from exploring! Doesn’t Clemmy look hilariously smug in the first picture? XD XD XD

We dipped Olaf in the creek to cool him off, and he looked so funny when he shook the water off! (Well, at least in a stop-motion picture.)

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Lily is still her fat, squishable self. 😀

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A Lily sniff captured. While her nose is really blurry, her dewlap is very clear! 😀

But we didn’t only play with the bunnies – it would be an awful waste if we didn’t play with any of that good mud beside the creek. XD (Sorry, but I only have videos of us playing – no pictures. 😦 ) The mud play ranged from building a waterfall/dam in the creek to having a mud fight. Well, it wasn’t actually a mud fight, it was more like an orderly mud throw. We stood in a pentagon and threw carefully crafted mudballs in unison in a clockwise direction. Orderly, right? Orderly, but not tidy. I am sitting here in rather mud-splattered clothing. XD Not to mention the mud I already washed off…

So yeah, it was fun. But I think a few showers might be in order… 😀

***Allison***

P. S. My mom just said “Those dog treats are really good, Megan! I keep eating them for a snack.” XD XD XD Don’t worry; it’s not as bad as it sounds. My sister Megan made dog treats from a recipe K. A. gave her (it’s basically flour, peanut butter, and water), and they taste like nice crunchy crackers. So we’re eating dog treats at our house. XD XD XD

PFA #1: Hot Glue Snowflakes (and Bunny Slides)

Okay, I guess I’ll need to explain the title… 😀 PFA stands for “Posts from the Forgotten Abyss” and it’s a new series I’m starting where I drag back a post from long ago that I like, and that no one had really noticed, and repost it, along with a new photo or tidbit so the post is not entirely the same. It’s kind of like Photos from of Old. (Which I will post more of probably in spring.) So! Today’s post I thought seemed appropriate for winter, and since we, sadly, do not have any snow, here’s a way to make your own!

But first, here is the new part of the post: bunny slides! I took some videos of Lily and Willow sliding down a little sliding board that we’ve had for years, and I turned parts of the videos into pictures – they’re so cute and funny!

A pile of fluff is going down!

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↓Lily is going to be so mad at me for taking a picture of her in this highly undignified pose. XD

Wasn’t that hilarious? XD Okay, now I am about to transport you back about one year… hang on!

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These really look like snowflakes (well, giant, oversized ones) because of the color of hot glue.  They are very easy to make and just take a few supplies.  Let’s get started!

You will need:

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Hot glue gun (with hot glue)

Parchment paper

Sharpie (optional)

snowflake pattern to trace (optional)

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There are several different ways to do this.  You can either

1. Draw a snowflake directly onto the parchment paper (the sharpie lines will show up on the finished snowflake)

2. Print out a simple snowflake drawing from your computer and place it under the parchment paper

3. Just use hot glue to make a snowflake freehand.

What ever way you do it, the basic idea is to make a snowflake by squirting out hot glue onto parchment paper and letting it dry.

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Since it is hot glue, it won’t take long to dry (YAY!).  If you want, you can sprinkle some glitter over the snowflake before it dries.  When you’re sure the hot glue is dry enough, carefully peel it off the parchment paper.  You may need to remove those annoying hot glue strings too.

To activate the cling, turn it upside down in the palm of your hand and run it under water.  Gently shake the water off, but don’t dry it off.  Press the snowflake to a window.

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The water helps it stick to begin with, but even when the water dries, the snowflake stays on.  You can also make little swirls, dots, and other snowy doodles to go along with your snowflakes.

Make a whole blizzard!

***Allison***

P. S. You get one point if you remembered the snowflake post. XD What do you think of this new series?

Jinx the Cat’s Rabbity Adventure

Hello, readers! The other day Jinx, our cat, had an adventure that he would like to tell you about. Jinx’s words will be in bold type and mine will be like normal. At the end of Jinx’s story I will be back with a few notes and pictures. But now I will hand it over to Jinx… (Be prepared for a lot of words – Jinx can be rather long-winded sometimes. XD)

Greetings, readers of Allison’s blog! Allison has allowed me, Jinx the cat, to do a guest post on her blog. For this particular post, I shall be telling you about a rather trying adventure I had the other day.

But first, I must tell you a little bit about myself. I am the grand and only feline of Allison’s household, Coffee Bean the cat having only recently passed away. (I will not here discuss in detail my views of the aforesaid Coffee Bean, but let it suffice to say that I bear no great burden of sorrow in now being the supreme ruler of the house.) It seems I will have to describe myself a bit, as Allison did not take a truly good picture of me by myself. I am a sleek, handsome, highly dignified black cat, if I do say so myself. Most generally, I pass my days in reclining in high estate wherever I please, drinking delicious draughts of sweet water from FaussEt, and trying to communicate to my humans all of my complicated needs through desperate meows, purrs, and sometimes – I am sorry to say – a few scratches in dire emergencies. They hardly ever listen to me, I am afraid, but ah… that is the life of a cat.

Now. My adventure began one day when Megan, one of the more trying of my humans, carried me out to the rabbit cage against my wishes. Do you know my views on rabbits? No, I suppose not. I shall inform you. I do not like them – they are simply fluffy vermin who always seem to have a nervous twitch about the nose – that’s what I say. Anyway, Megan carried me out, and I was forced to keep company with these disgusting creatures. At first I hid in a corner tried to keep my clean and polished self away from these creatures. But the air was cold, and I was at last forced to take refuge against the frigid air in the… I hate to say it, but the rabbits’ cage.

With my superior night vision, I could see inside the dark cage which was covered in a blanket. There were (I nearly shuddered with disgust) three rabbits already inside! They went by the names of Diamond, Lily, and Olaf. And as if the situation wasn’t already bad enough, another rabbit soon entered the scene – the extraordinarily fluffy Willow. She is the worst of them. I cannot for the life of me see how the humans like such a disheveled monster as Willow is, but… humans are very strange creatures.

But as I have a stout heart and a strong mind, I concluded to make the best of the circumstances. The one good thing I can say about rabbits is that they are very warming creatures. As I reclined among them, my poor numbed paws grew warm again, my ears began to thaw, and my whiskers lost some of their brittleness. In a few moments, I was actually enjoying my stay in the cage. (But only for the warmth, you understand.) After a bit, Olaf the rabbit approached me and snuggled up close. I tried not to be squeamish, and instead I focused on the extra warmth Olaf brought with him.

Even thought the humans were squealing over how “adorable” I was, I could not help feeling a bit sleepy with all of the warmth inside the cage. In fact, I nearly drifted off to sleep a few times.

I waited out the minutes until it was finally time to return to the comfortable house. The humans wanted to leave me in the cage, but the Mother human said that it would not be wise, as she didn’t trust me with the rabbits so close at hand. Of all the nerve! The humans should know by now that I have much too refined a taste to eat inferior rabbit meat! Anyway, Allison came out to take me inside, and was surprised that I resisted her grasp. I suppose she thought that I was actually enjoying the rabbits company. On the contrary, the only reason I resisted was that I was somewhat afraid that the vicious dog they call Maggie was outside the rabbit pen, waiting to destroy me the moment Allison should step outside. Maggie was actually in the kennel, but how was I to know? Finally Allison brought me inside, and ever since I have been trying to recuperate from that horrible adventure by sleeping twice as much on warm, comfortable chairs and sofas.

I’m sorry about all of the high and mighty language, but Jinx is rather proud of himself, as you can see. And another thing: I’m not totally sure that he was telling the truth when he said that he only enjoyed being in the cage for warmth. For one thing, it wasn’t even that cold – not nearly enough to numb his dainty paws at least – and for another thing, I have some pictures as proof that Jinx seems to have got along quite well with the rabbits – especially Olaf. Feel free to browse the evidence. (Mouse over the pictures to see any captions.)

Was that not cute and convincing proof of Jinx’s enjoyment? (Well, at least some of the time.) It looks like he downright made friends with the rabbits! And since poor Olaf hardly ever gets a photoshoot, here is a mini one just for him. (Scroll over the pictures to see any captions, and click the pictures to enlarge.)

Wow! I have written over ONE THOUSAND words for this post! That might be a record… In other news, I’m almost ready to open my Etsy shop! 😀 😀 😀 I might open it tomorrow, but I’m not sure. I’ll do a post about it when it’s ready. Have a lovely Sunday afternoon!

***Allison***

Christmas Gifts by Yours Truly

I hope you had a Merry Christmas – I did! I always make my Christmas gifts because I love to make and give things. This year I made this candy bark for my dad and my aunt and uncle’s family, lots of mix-and-match paper flags for a pennant banner like this one for my mom, a cross-stitch picture of their grandkids (including me) for my grandmother and grandaddy, and a clay model of each of my brothers’ and sisters’ bunnies for their presents (along with some sugared pecans.) Whew! That was a long list, huh? I really enjoyed making those presents, but I only took pictures of the cross-stitch piece and the bunnies to show you.

First, the cross-stitch thingy. My grandparents really liked it, which I am glad about, because it took me a really long time to make! I first planned my design out on graph paper, and then embroidered it. From left to right: my brother Jeff, Me, my cousin Leisha, my sister Carmen, my brother Logan, my cousin Jianna, and my sister Megan. I worked really hard on this and I’m quite pleased at how well it turned out!

All my siblings really liked these little bunnies too. They are cute if I say so myself. 🙂 In the picture of all of the bunnies in my hand, they are from left to right: Clementine, Yoshi, Olaf, and Diamond. Which is your favorite clay rabbit?

This is Yoshi and Clementine together, because Clemmie is a soon-to-be mother (we hope!) and Yoshi is the dad. (!!!)

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I hope you enjoyed looking at my creations! Did you make any presents this year?

***Allison***

Merry Christmas from the Bunnies!

Squeeee! Christmas is only two days away! I hope you enjoy this “bloggy Christmas card” post from me and the bunnies!

Bunny Christmas

The bunnies are so cute I can hardly stand it. 🙂 Just yesterday I was in Clementine’s pen (she’s by herself because she’s going to be a mother soon (!!!) ), and I heard some scrabbling coming from behind me. I turned around and saw Willow, my rabbit, balancing on the narrow wall separating the two stalls! She had jumped up all by herself, and it was ADORABLE!

(Whenever there’s a collage like this, you can click on each picture to see it bigger.) Look at Clemmie in the second picture at the top right corner – so cute!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you, and don’t forget the “Christ” part of Christmas.” 🙂 See you later!

***Allison***