summer's end ... and change

the end of another summer is upon us ...

oh, how the world has changed.

how my life has changed ... how i have changed.

i haven't been using my camera too terribly much since i last posted ...

i've missed it so much!

i have an excuse to pick it up again ...
a dear and precious grandson!

among so many things, he loves the camera and ...
he loves flowers as much as i do!

... and i LOVE him!

he had a rough start in life but is doing beautifully
now at the age of 2!

looks like much has changed here on blogger.
i hope to get back here now and begin posting more photos
as soon as i do some homework and figure out how it
all works ... again!!

if any of my followers are out there,
please do leave a comment.
i would really enjoy hearing from you!
in the meantime,
enjoy the beautiful autumn weather as i am!

my favorite time of year and i hope to be
taking more photos to share soon!

love & blessings to all!

~ deborah ~

beginning again ....

~Hello~

if anyone here still has me on their list of blogs they follow,

please do let me know below in the comments when you see this post.

i've missed so much the times i was here
but life has thrown me a few curves as they say,
yet i have survived!

i would love to know if anyone is still here.
i have missed sharing with those who visited me.

i found that i am unable to get to your blogs
by clicking on your names in the comments as before
so i have concluded that blogger has made some changes,
to which i will need to reacquaint myself with.

i haven't lost my love and passion
for capturing the moments of life
... large or small.
my 'friend' has been tucked safely away in it's case
and i'm truly anxious to begin again as time allows.

i hope this finds you all well and healthy in the world
in which we find ourselves in today ...

so much going on around us ...

so many changes ...

emotions are up and down ...

i am getting older now too ...

yet in the midst ...

I find rest.

i pray you do as well!

i am anxiously looking forward to
seeing some comments from you!

love & blessings to all,
~ deborah ~

texture tuesday free and easy || it's the small things

it's so good to be back with you all and joining in again with kim's cafe this week!
i'm also giving a shout out and sending congratulations to my friend beverly from lavender bleu.
she is guest hosting this week and did an amazing job ...
and her images of those fresh pepper berries on the white backdrop ...
oh my, simply beautiful!!

as for my image this week ...
a little lone leaf had blown onto our porch recently.

how i love to watch the colorful leaves drop off the trees
and dance in the wind every year.

i wanted to capture this little one ...
to remember how special the small things in life really are.

~ the recipe ~
kk_trust
multiplied @ 50% opacity
lowered saturation
and brushed the texture from the leaf

it's been a beautiful season this fall but, they say winter is making an early appearance this week.
hope you all stay warm and cozy and remember to think on the small things in life ...
we are all so very blessed and have much to be grateful for!

~ deborah xo

i heart faces photo challenge || it's pet week

now here's something i haven't done in awhile ...
i heart faces photo challenge!

this week it's all about pets ... pets of any kind,
and i do love a challenging pet session!

i have a few images of my sister's cat, and i've chosen this
one for the challenge over in that great community of photographers.

miss november is an older cat, who is very small in size,
and a beloved member of the family.
i caught her just as she was yawning ...
looks more like she's angry, but no, she is the sweetest little thing
and loves to sit and cuddle in your lap.
some of you might remember her from a past post.
i have a few more expressive photos of her that i'll share soon.

i haven't been around since my last post and had actually
set my camera aside for a time to help my sister since my nephew passed away.
i did, however, take it on our drives in the country to capture the beauty of autumn ...
which i'll share here soon, and hopefully not before the snow falls!

yes, they say winter is arriving early this year.

hmmm, and maybe that's how she's feeling about that in this photo below!

hope you all have a blessed week,
and come visit or join in on the pet challenge
by clicking the link below!

~ deborah xo

texture tuesday || softly summer free and easy

i've missed a few weeks of posting with you all over at
texture tuesday ...

a bit of an update first:
back in august i shared with you the story of my nephew here in this post.
i want to thank those of you who thought of him and prayed.

early on a beautiful sunday morning, september 7th,
just before we were to make our trip to visit him,
God called our TJ home.
quietly and in his sleep, he left the pain behind.

much has transpired since then.
a sadness prevails in our family ...
and there will always be a void in our hearts.
but hope indeed reigns.



i'm sharing this image with kim's cafe.
i love roses, but have never grown them.
this particular one is called 'grandma's blessing' ...
it's one that our neighbors planted for us before they moved.
this just bloomed recently and I wanted to share it's loveliness.
it truly has been a 'blessing' to watch it grow.

sad to think that summer has come to an end ...
but we can know for sure that beauty can be found in any season!

my free and easy recipe:
kk_violet
multiplied @ 40% opacity

click the link's above to join in!
{ i've tried uploading the TT button from kim's site a few times,
but as you can see below, it's broken. has anyone else had the same problem? }

hope you all are enjoying a wonderful week weather wise.
fall seems to be making an early appearance with much cooler temperatures,
along with wind and rain that are on the way for the weekend.
even with the past few days of indian summer warmth,
the leaves are beginning to turn and fall.
hoping the weekend weather has a change of heart ...
i'd love to capture more fall colors to share.

blessings to you,
- deborah xo

texture tuesday free and easy || out of the mist

i love the changing of the seasons

the warm days of summer are beginning to wind down around here ...
you can feel it in the air.
storms are brewing west of us and should be arriving wednesday,
bringing lots and lots of rain and ushering in much cooler temperatures for the rest of the week.
looking forward to that, although the early frost they are predicting would not be good.

we have new neighbors now ...
you may remember when i shared that we lost
our landscapers last month when, sadly, they moved away.
well, this time we have a young family.
he is a mechanic (filing that info away for future reference),
and i believe she is a stay-at-home momma of two small boys.
saw them both playing out in the backyard today ...
in the mounds of topsoil and mulch where the newly planted bushes are.
not sure they'll keep the yard as nice as the previous renters,
but they seem to enjoy the fruits of his labor ...
that is what remained of the tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.
he told us we could help ourselves, as well.
looking forward to getting to know them better.
i do enjoy meeting new friends!



linking up with kim's cafe again this week.
just click if you would like to join in.

i missed last tuesday due to the passing of a dear family friend.
it is never easy ... grief.
he will be greatly missed, but we know he is home now, and at rest.

this image of a wild flower is one i captured along the side of a country road.
the depth of field along with the added texture makes it seem as if it's reaching out of the mist.
grief can feel like that, but experience tells me that time lessens the pain.
we lost my husband's parents four years ago this month, too.
a touching story i may share sometime, but for now,
we are so very grateful for all the cherished memories we hold in our hearts.

i used kim's providence multiplied at 100% for this image.
hope you all enjoy a beautiful week making lots of memories with those you love!

blessings,
deborah xo

texture tuesday free and easy || country summer

a country summer and memories of the little things ...

the coolness of the grass beneath my bare feet.

drinking in the shade of a tree on a quilted blanket

as i watch as the flowers drink in the sunshine.

the bounty of garden ripe vegetables overflowing from a basket.

the cranking of the old ice cream maker as we wait with eager anticipation.

cold water from the garden hose quenching a summer thirst.

beads of sweat on the brow of a child after playing in the sun.

a welcome breeze through the open doors of the barn.

a hazy blue sky graced with puffy white clouds.

in the air is the smell of the tall field corn down a country road.

thunder ...

a late afternoon storm brews bringing big drops of warm rain.

seeing a rainbow appear as the sun returns.

the crickets coming together in song near the end of the day,

and those juicy sweet slices of watermelon as we watch the sunset.

it's in those moments when you realize that
summer is almost over

and, my heart is grateful for the memory of days like this ...

driving along a country road we happened upon this old barn ...
it brought back long ago memories of summer when i was a young girl.

joining in again over at kim's cafe for texture tuesday this week.
as i was working on this image
i ended up layering it using 3 of her textures
and would love your thoughts.
i'm just not sure i've done this barn quite the justice it deserves!
thank you for dropping in, and enjoy your week!

blessings,
deborah xo

kk_yesteryear . multiplied @ 80%
kk_flow . multiplied @ 50%
and to give it a more 'aged' effect i added
kk_edward . overlay @ 66%