Photography Prompt #1

May 22, 2016 | Allison

Hello again, dear readers! 😀 Today I give you a little photography prompt I made up to get your photo-creativity up and running! It’s super simple, but very rewarding and relaxing.

Here are the photos I took using the prompt. I just laid down in the grass and snapped away! It was really fun.

The whole reason I went out there in the first place was to take pictures of this beautiful tiger swallowtail.

Then of course I took pictures of the cute wittle pink flowers,

And a few creepy-crawlies,

-Allison(Casey) 011 (1024x768) — Pill bugs (or roly-polies) look like armadillo bugs up close!

And boring ol’ lawn which is actually interesting.

-Allison(Casey) 018 (1280x960) — I messed with the exposure on my camera to get this really neat evening light look.

Guys, mulch and old walnuts can look interesting too.

And lastly but not leastly… this! XD Yes, you can use your zoom as long as you don’t move your legs. 😀

I used this idea several months ago too. It was winter, and I just sat down in a plain patch of bare field, but I think some of the photos turned out pretty well. Have a look!

This is the boring patch of ground I took pictures on. Blah, right?

Well…

-Allison(cookies, island) 027 (1280x960) — I really like this picture for some reason

-Allison(cookies, island) 026 (1280x960) — Even dirt can look pretty!

Not so boring after all, right? That’s why this is fun. You get to look at all the little details you normally miss. And you don’t have to just take pictures – you could take your sketchbook or just look.

Do you think you’ll use this prompt? Would you like to see more photography prompts?

***Allison***

P. S. I’m working on my birthday stuff post, but it may take me a while because of all the reviews I’m doing!

BIPBC #6: Epic Puddle Splashing + Random Pics

May 6, 2016May 6, 2016 | Allison

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

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.

003 (1280x960) — Maggie rolling her cares away. XD She looks like a headless dog. O.o

-Allison(cardboard roll shelf, Willow) 032 (1280x960) — A random picture of gone-to-seed asparagus. XD

-Allison(cardboard roll shelf, Willow) 016 (1280x960) — Willow my adorable fluffy rabbit! ♥

009 (1280x960) — Dandelion in the golden sun

005 (1280x960) — Gorgeous spring-green leaves!

Which picture was your favorite?

Have a ~~good~~ ~~great~~ ~~amazing~~ STUPENDOUS day! 😀 ♥

***Allison***

Flower Overload, Part 1

April 25, 2016April 26, 2016 | Allison

Guys, I have SO MANY flower pictures I want to show you. I’ve been taking pictures by the hundreds, and I can’t keep up with posting them! If spring goes on much longer, I’m seriously going to wear out my camera or something. XD But I can’t help it. I LOVE SPRING! 😀

Since I don’t want to bore you to sleep, I decided to divide my boatload of pictures into bite-sized servings. (Well more like large-mouthful-sized servings. XD )

Now, onwards! 😀

flowers (25) (1024x768) — Star of Bethlehem

flowers (8) (1024x768) — Another Star of Bethlehem

flowers (24) (1024x768) — Isn’t it neat how some redbud trees have big puffs of blossoms on their trunks?

flowers (23) (1024x768) — Redbud tree blossoms

flowers (20) (1024x768) — Does anyone know what this flower is? *Update* Bella says it’s a wild geranium. Thanks, Bella!

flowers (18) (1024x768) — Virginia Bluebells

flowers (17) (1024x768) — A sea of Virginia Bluebells

flowers (11) (1024x768) — A peony of some sort – probably a Tree Peony

flowers (14) (1024x768) — Still the Tree Peony. Isn’t it gorgeous?

flowers (13) (1024x768) — Center of the Tree Peony

flowers (10) (1024x768) — Apple tree blossom

flowers (9) (1024x768) — More apple tree blossoms

flowers (7) (1024x768) — Bleeding Hearts (Not literally. I mean the flower bleeding hearts. XD)

flowers (5) (768x1024) — My grandparents have this huge flower in their flowerbed, and it does NOT smell good, let me tell you. XD It smells like a dead animal. O.o I’m not sure what it’s called though. *Update* Clara says that this is a carrion flower. Thanks, Clara!

flowers (6) (1024x768) — A fly on the carrion flower

flowers (4) (1024x768) — Wintercress (It should be spring cress! This stuff is all over the place here.)

*Gasp, puff, wheeze* Okay good, you’re still alive. In that case, look for the next part soon! XD 😉

***Allison***

P. S. And now a word from our sponsors. XD Not really. But I do have some reminders/updates/announcement thingies. Ahem.

If you’re almost out of photo space for your Blogger or WordPress blog, don’t fear, my friend. Check out Clara’s tutorial to get yourself unlimited photo space for free!
Wohoo! Lots of people have already signed up for WordCrafters, which makes me SO happy. Thank you guys! To learn more about WordCrafters and/or sign up, see my WordCrafters 2 post.
Today is the last day to solve the mystery! I’ll post the answer to these mystery pictures tomorrow the 26th. And guess what? You have soundly beaten my previous record for how many people guessed on a mystery picture post. THANK YOU! I just love reading your guesses. 🙂

Cherry Blossoms

April 22, 2016April 22, 2016 | Allison

A few days ago we walked to my grandma and grandpa’s house to take pictures of their beautiful blooming cherry tree. The blooms are so gorgeous and fluffy! Of course I took bunches of pictures. 😀 Your scrolling finger had better do its warm-ups, because this is gonna be a LOT of pictures! XD

008 (1280x960) — Cherry blossoms illuminated with light. Don’t they look like tissue paper flowers?

My sister Megan taking pictures… 😀

Aren’t the leaves so neat? The design of their veins is so intricate and delicate!

The sky was perfectly blue, which was a stunning background for the cherry blossoms.

Green grass also turned out to be a pretty background. I really like how these pictures turned out!

That last picture looks like the perfect fairy tutu. Can you just picture a little barefoot fairy with long black hair twirling through the grass with a cherry blossom skirt? 🙂

Ahh… cherry blossoms are exquisite! (I need more synonyms for beautiful here, guys. XD )

***Allison***

P. S. If you haven’t seen them yet, go take a gander at my Mystery Pictures. You only have until Tuesday before I reveal the mysteries! Thank you SO much for entering, guys! I think I have the most guesses I ever had before now!

Spring Romp

March 31, 2016 | Allison

Okay guys, this post is going to give you a delightful dose of SPRING! I LOVE SPRING! Ahem. Take a deep breath and smell the fresh spring air…

First off we have a humble dandelion. But have you ever noticed how beautiful they really are? The dandelion has such a sunny, fluffy bloom, and look at those exquisite little curlicues peppering the surface of the flower!

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 046 (2) (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 044 (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 046 (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 045 (1024x768)

Next up we have some more pretty weeds – with BOKEH in the background! I love bokeh. ♥ I think this is corn speedwell.

I really like these pictures! They’re so… springy! 😀

Now I’ll take a break from flowers. How about a landscape instead?

I love this next picture! (I love lots of things in this post, don’t I? XD Spring, bokeh, pictures…)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 065 (1280x960) — The foreground is gorgeous lush triticale, and the background includes chicken houses, the litter shed, solar panels, and my cousins’ house. 🙂

Some fresh new spring oat starts…

There was some perfectly oozy mud that we just had to squish in, and after our walk, my friend and I went back. I made a little mud-bird from sticks, bark, and of course, mud. 🙂 Isn’t she cute? She is a bit dirty though. *Sigh* I’m afraid that’s her fate. XD Sometime I should go back and see if she’s still there.

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 072 (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 074 (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 073 (1280x960)

This raccoon must have liked the mud too. Doesn’t his little handprint look like human handprint? It especially does in this picture because you can’t see how small it is.

And to finish it off, here are some Lily the rabbit pictures. SQUEEE! She’s so fat and plush! … Perhaps a bit too fat and plush. XD But I love you anyway, dearest Lily.

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 076 (1280x960) (1280x960) — She looks half grumpy, half startled, and all CUTE in this picture!

Okay, guys. You are going to die from a cuteness attack when you see this next picture. Lily and a calf are making friends! (Well, at least the calf is. Lily… maybe not so much. XD Look at the expression on her face!)

I hope these pictures put an extra spring in your step. 🙂 Have a lovely day! ♥

***Allison***

Happy Easter! + Spring Photos

March 27, 2016March 27, 2016 | Allison

Happy Easter, everyone! Christ has risen!

I thought I’d show you a few Easter-y springy pictures too. 🙂 Spring is like the year’s resurrection – the old bare trees and brown grass come to life again. Christ’s resurrection is infinitely more amazing and wondrous than spring is or ever will be, but in the new birth of spring perhaps we have a miniscule, faint taste of the joy which we will experience at Christ’s return!

So with that, enjoy this humongous spring collage. 🙂 (Click on any photo to bring up an enlarged slideshow thingy of all of the photos.)

-Allison(cake, daffodils) 005 (1280x960)

Close-up of daffodil bud

My Grandma has these beautiful orange-centered daffodils!

-Allison(cake, daffodils) 006 (1280x960)

And these beautiful ones too!

-Allison(cake, daffodils) 003 (1280x960)

Comment “Spring Fever” if you see this!

I LOVE pussy willows!

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 036 (1280x960)

-Allison(dew drops, hat, nature walk, bunnies, cottonpile) 035 (1280x960)

Once again, HAPPY EASTER!

***Allison***

Photos from of Old: Entry #2

February 16, 2016February 16, 2016 | Allison

(See entry #1 here.) I know I was going to wait until spring to post the next entry for this series, but (heh heh) here it is! I didn’t want to wait that long. 🙂 The pictures are rather spring-y, but maybe they will warm you up. 😀 I am about to take you back in time to the spring of 2013…

*******************************************************

I absolutely LOVE these next three photos. They are pictures of cherry blossoms from trees at my grandma’s house. They are like ballerina’s tutus: pink, delicate, and fluffy. But I think cherry blossoms are much prettier than tutus. 🙂 I will try to get some more cherry blossom pictures this year, if I can.

The brilliant green grass of spring: (This was also taken at my grandma’s house. Way up in the top right corner, you can sort of see a blurry pink cherry tree. 😀 )

I believe my grandaddy caught this lil’ guy in a trap. You can’t tell from this picture, but he was fierce. XD

These cute calves are actually triplets! They were our pets for a long time. (There will be more pictures of them to come in later PFO posts.)

And last but not least, gorgeous fiery tulips! (If I remember right, I was very proud of this picture. XD)

*Sigh* Are you pining away for spring, yet? Spring is my favorite month, by the way. What’s yours?

***Allison***

Who Am I? A Spring Poem

March 14, 2015March 14, 2015 | Allison

This is a mystery poem I made up yesterday. After each stanza, take a guess at what the poem is about, and see how your first guesses compare to your last guess.

——————————————————————————–

A roundish package, lily-white

Lies buried in the darkest night.

Above, a glowing warmth sends rays

Of light that dance and skip and play.

*************************************

A grayness gathers in the blue.

It bursts and pierces the air through

With drops of glass and noisy wind.

And then the gray is blue again.

*************************************

The silent package starts to shift,

It cracks it splits, it moves a bit.

From one end grows one tiny thread,

Then many race to stretch ahead.

****************************************

A new, green dagger thrusts itself

Above the dark, and looks about.

It sees, around it, other spears

That it must conquer, far or near.

*************************************

The dagger wages war for food

For light, for water, and land too.

It wins the battle, takes the floor

And earns what it was fighting for.

*****************************************

And now, more daggers, soft and green

Poke up their heads around their queen.

The daggers grow as straight as boards

And lengthen out to narrow swords.

************************************

A slender, green and stately pole

Emerges from a darkened hole.

The pole starts swelling at its tip,

And yellows as it grows a bit.

************************************

The swelling end begins to split

And sunshine shows from deep within.

The sunshine spreads and spreads until

Sweet golden trumpets fill the hills.

************************************

They trumpet loud their welcome song:

“Spring’s here at last! Cold Winter’s gone!

Warmth and light, new life is stirring,

Come one and all, come sing of Spring!”

—————————————————————————

Did you figure out what the poem is about? I’ll give you a hint: it’s a certain kind of flower. Wait for it…. Yep! A daffodil! I hope to see some daffodils soon! Do you have any daffodils or other flowers blooming at your house?

***Allison***