Thank you, Kate!

Well, I had a great time participating in the US & OZ photography series.  Thanks so much, Kate, for doing this with me.  I would love to do it again in December.  I hope you are available!!

I loved all the photographs, but I think my favorite OZ photos were from Day 1 and Day 2.  What can I say?  I love photographs of flora and foliage.

What do you think?  Which ones were your favorites?

US & OZ: Happy Halloween!!

Kate said that Australia just recently started celebrating Halloween and some people don't even know what it is.  That is why it is so sparsely decorated.  Plus, it is spring over there, not fall, so I am sure that makes it harder to decorate with the typical autumnal theme.  I do like the charm of the creative designs though.  What do you think?


From OZ:

the most impressive decoration in town.

                                                                      -Kate

From US:

Blow-up decorations.  I think I prefer the homemade Australian kind ;~)

US & OZ: October 30, 2010

Let's see what we have on this night of mischief...

From OZ:

I searched and searched for some Halloween decorations and until today there has been absolutely NONE. I finally found the first house with decorations and it was so laughable I had to share it. Supposedly the family I live with has "heaps" but I am yet to see any. Maybe they only put them out on the actual day? We will see.

                                                                                        -Kate

I really wanted to post a photo of Halloween decorations to go along with Kate's, but I just had to share this one...

From US:

Today was my son's last baseball game of the season and look who showed up to ump...Santa Claus!  Just in time for Halloween!!

~Happy Haunting~

US & OZ: October 29, 2010

From OZ:

i saw her hunched over in the yard with her mom's camera...asked her what she was doing. 

"i'm just taking a picture of the poo." 

of course. it was a nice lookin turd.

                                                                 -Kate

From US:

Pretty sure the turd didn't come from this girl.  

She was at the school's Halloween parade.  

I was so taken with her that I couldn't help but take some photos.  

The owner didn't tell me to stop so I just kept on clickin'  

Doesn't she look like she has lipstick and eyeliner on?  

Maybe she was hoping to meet someone special...  

US & OZ: October 28, 2010

From OZ:

Australia likes to pretend that their economy is struggling just like the States...

but here is some proof. 

There are jobs here! Lots!

                                          -Kate

From US:

Finding a fuzzy caterpillar on an expedition.

US & OZ: October 27, 2010

OZ:

Picnic fun in the park. Can you tell Dora is very popular in Australia?

                                                                                                   -Kate

US:

A dark and dreary leaf soaked driveway.  

US & OZ: October 26, 2010

From the shoeless down under:

People can't seem to hold on to their shoes around here. :)

                                                                                                  -Kate

From the Halloween decorated US:

Frankie, our Halloween decoration.  He has been with us for about 10 years.  

He sings, 'who can it be knocking at my door, go away, don't come 'round here no more'.  The kids love him, and so do the adults!  

Stay tuned...

for more US & OZ.  

This is Kate's suitcase and she is back from Fiji!!  

We are going to finish out the month with our daily photos.

Can't wait!

  

Photography Series Hiatus

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately our US & OZ photo series will be taking a little hiatus while gorgeous Kate in vacationing in gorgeous Fiji.  There are no phones, tvs, wireless.

nada!  
zippo!
zilch!

So, while all this makes for a relaxing and fun vacation it really doesn't help when you want to email photographs to people.
But, stop being selfish, geez...


Not to worry though.  She will be back before we know it so CHIN UP!

No tears!
oh, well, maybe that is just directed to me, but, well, carry on...

Have fun, Kate!  We look forward to your return!
xo

US & OZ: Day 6

I did not receive a photo from Kate before she left for Fiji.  I did get an email from her and I think she may have attached a photo to it, but it didn't come through.  She did, however, assure me that she packed her camera!!

So, here is the photo that I imagine she would have sent me:

hahaha, couldn't resist...
 that's not a knife...this is a knife...

anyhoo...back to our regularly scheduled programming...

My little one has finally mastered the 2-wheeler without the aid of training wheels.  She was SO excited and proud to ride around with her big brother.

Photography Series Update

I have been thoroughly enjoying the US & OZ series.  I love getting the lovely photos from our friend down undah and also love the challenge of taking a photo a day myself.

Today, however, we have run into our first glitch.  I usually get a photo from Kate bright and early in my time zone. However, today she is traveling to Fiji and I haven't received a photo from her yet.  I am sure it has to do with packing and traveling and time differences.  I really hope that once she gets to Fiji she has internet connection and we will be able to carry on as planned.  I really can't wait to see some photos from Fiji.

I will still take a daily photo and post it at the end of the day, but there probably won't be one from Kate.  We'll see...fingers crossed...

Let's all say a prayer that she has/had a safe flight to Fiji and remembered to bring her camera!!

Check back later~
xo

US & OZ: Day 5

From OZ:

This morning I made myself a coffee and the girls joined me for "baby chinos." The coffee shops here offer frothed milk with some kind of treat (marshmallows or gummy worms, etc) and serve it in little espresso cups for the kids, calling them baby chinos. 

How cute is that?  I love their little backpacks.  I also like that the doll's head is peeking out of the bag lest she suffocate.  That little girl is obviously a very thoughtful mummy.  

Kate has told the peeps at our local coffee shop about baby chinos and they might pick up the idea.  I know my daughter would love to try them!

Back here in the colonies it finally stopped raining and the sun actually peeked out.  It was a welcome sight.  Most of the plants were okay, but some of the more delicate flowers took a beating.  

Look at these little guys hanging on for dear life:

Their spines are broken, but not their spirit.  They want to provide the world with beauty and nothing will stop them.  

Also, in this picture there is proof that we own a hairy St. Bernard.  Can you spot it?  

US & OZ: Day 3

So, gorgeous Kate has asked to be called regular instead of gorgeous.   

Say what?!!??  

It's tough being gorgeous.  

Here is the photo and description she sent me this morning:

I keep making friends with other people's animals. This little guy is always hanging out on my street...he's very photogenic. Or she? He just looks like a dude to me. 

This was around 4 or 5pm, I can't remember! (Daylight savings started today).  

Regular Kate grew up with animals so I am not surprised that they want to be her friend.  And, as she is enjoying Daylight Savings and flowers blooming and looking forward to a scorching hot summer; we here are saying goodbye to summer and welcoming fall and looking forward to a snowy winter.

(what?  you're not?  oh...forget I said anything)

Today was a fall day for me for sure.  The weather was freezing, windy and then it started to rain.  And, to even further prove that it is fall we got some mums...

This was taken around 3pm as it was waiting to be planted.  

But, then it started raining, so it's just going to have to wait until tomorrow.  

Mums the word...;~)

US & OZ: Day 2

From gorgeous Kate in OZ:

This is a corner of the "fairy garden" in my backyard, at around 3pm.

US:

11am.  Moss growing out of an outdoor seat.  

US & OZ: Day 1

Hello everyone, 

Here is the photo that the gorgeous Kate sent me this morning:

"i'm in a suburb of sydney. the pic is of the sidewalk of my street at around 3:30pm."

-Gorgeous Kate

Knowing that she had taken her photo around 3:30pm I thought I would try to do the same.  However, it has been rainy and cloudy and overall dreary here so I thought I would wait until the sun started to peak out.  It did around 4pm and I took this shot around 4:30pm:

It is a tree at the end of my driveway and it looks at me everyday while I wait for the school bus.

Sometimes it can look a little creepy, but it usually makes me smile.  While I look at the tree and daydream I believe that Nature is just bursting to talk to me so the tree grew a face.  One day I will walk down to the end of my driveway and it will have a mouth and then the conversations will get really good.  Right now they are a little one-sided.  

xo

Photography Series

I am very excited to announce a little photography series that my friend and I have been plotting.

I have named it US & OZ.  

Here is a little background:

My friend (who was once just the babysitter of my children, but now is also my friend) is spending a year in Australia being an au pair.  

Tough job.  

She is staying with a gorgeous family who have gorgeous houses (yes, plural) and gorgeous children and she is meeting gorgeous people and taking gorgeous photographs.  

Like I said, tough job.  

So, on a related note, and for a little more background, my sister has been telling me that I should do a photo series.  She suggested doing a 365 day project.  Have you heard of them?  If not, google it, some of them are really great.  It's basically a photograph a day for a year--365 days.  So, as I was thinking of the 365 challenge I thought of something else entirely.  My mind tends to wander a lot...

How about a photograph a day for a month?

But not just one photograph.  How about two?!?  

And, not just two from me

One from me and one from my friend in OZ.  

One from the U.S and one from Australia.  

And, thus, the title of my series was born...US & OZ.  

What do you think?

So, one night while I was chatting/IMing/emailing with my friend

(I can't remember which mode of communication it was)  

I brought it up to her and she loved the idea and was more than willing to participate.  

And, lo and behold, this morning there was a photograph from her in my inbox.  

However, I won't be posting it until the end of my day.  

You see, as I am sitting here typing this post it is not even 8am.  

However, in OZ it is bedtime.  

There is a 14 hour difference.  

So, she actually took her photograph yesterday.  

But, she thought it was today.  

It's crazy over there in Australia.  

Don't ask...

They also think it's springtime.  Not fall.  Crazy I tell ya!!  

Anyhoo...I want to post both photographs together so I am waiting until the end of my day when I have taken my daily photograph and then I will post both of them with brief descriptions for each.  (should I have used a comma in there somewhere??)

As with all best laid plans there is always a caveat.  

Since she is the au pair she has to go on vacation with the family.  

It's a tough job.  

This year the family is enjoying a holiday in...drumroll please...FIJI.  

Did I mention it's a tough job?  

So, since she will be living in a hut in the South Pacific (she's got it rough man) she is not sure of her internet connection.  We are hoping that she will still be able to email me a daily photograph...fingers crossed!  If not, we will just have to take a little hiatus and start it up again when she gets back.  I am really looking forward to seeing her daily photographs and am really hoping to see some daily shots of Fiji.  

She is a great photographer, so I know you'll enjoy them too.  

I hope you enjoy the series.  Check back later for the first installment.  

xo