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%

texture tuesday || sweet shot tuesday

i really didn't like missing the entry date for last week's texture tuesday,
i am sorry i didn't get around to at least see what you all had shared.
i have no doubt that i missed some very beautiful images,
but, we've had some news of family illness that has kept me away.

many of you know that sometimes in life, there are detour signs ...
taking us off the beaten path of comfort and ease.
well, this one has taken someone we dearly love completely off the road.
it's been difficult for our family and we are praying for my dear nephew, thomas,
who we lovingly call TJ, as well as for his wife and their young son.

it's been a long road since the day of his one and only seizure in september of '09.
then the surgery to remove the tumor they discovered.
with treatment and as time passed he began improving ... life became 'normal' again.
that is until two months ago when they again discovered another tumor had been growing.
since then, they've had him on oral chemotherapy which has had some uncomfortable side effects.
TJ went back for another exam this past week ... the tumor had grown even more.
surgery at this point, is considered inoperable due to the location in his brain -
much too risky, they say.

so now, we are all taking one day at a time, not knowing what each one holds,
focusing on life, walking by faith, and holding on to one another in love, breathing prayers ...
 reaching up, trusting with hope in the One who holds us all in His arms.

if you breathe a prayer for him .... we thank you!



before i go,  i'll share quickly here my recipe for this week ...
these sweet little flowers came in a bouquet my husband brought me.
i took a few of them out into the natural light to get this image
and then used two of kim's layers.

kk_reentry . soft light . 100% opacity
kk_cora . overlay . 27% opacity

when i look at this image, the word HOPE comes to mind.
i want to thank you so much for dropping by ...
your visits and comments are so very encouraging.

blessings to each of you,
deborah xo

'faith gives us new eyes
and nothing looks the same to us anymore,
for within our faith we have eyes of hope'.

also linking up this week with kent for
sweet shot tuesday

texture tuesday || free and easy

i suppose i could call this the 'coffee edition' ...
i love coffee,
{with a touch of organic maple syrup and cream}
and, yes, vintage coffee cans.
after our morning cup, hubby and i went browsing at our local antique shop.
i'm always keeping my eyes peeled for them,
checking all the corners, cupboards, nooks, and crannies,
and i came across these old tins high on a shelf.
{just think of all the things we miss when we don't look up!}
i have to say, they were both a bit scratched up as you can see,
but still i thought they would be a good 'specimen' for
the weekly link-up with kim's
texture tuesday.

kim has another gorgeous 'free' texture to try this week as well.
unfortunately, i had edited this image with another one of her creations before i saw it,
but, i will definitely be trying it soon!

after capturing this in the natural light coming through the window,
i kept it 'free and easy' for these two different edits:

kk_marabella
multiplied @ 85%

i then took out the color of that same textured image
and gave it a soft tone for the second edit.
which one do you like?
i'm still undecided!

it sure is good to be back two weeks in a row.
i so appreciate those who stopped in for a visit, too.
i'm looking forward to seeing more of you this week.

we had an emotional weekend ...
our dear neighbors moved away and it may be awhile before we see them again.
before they left, he planted quite a few beautiful flowers
and bushes in our back yard ... for us to remember him by.
he is a very gifted landscaper and we had so hoped he would find work here.
he found a better offer in maine and we waved good-bye saturday morning.
it's so sad to look over the fence and no longer see him working in his beautiful yard.
we're feeling the loss and know it will get better with each passing day,
but we will greatly miss their 'back-door' friendship.
we're praying for neighbors who will take care of
what he so lovingly cared for ... over the fence.

on a happier note ...
two dear sweet friends were married later that same day ...
the wedding was simply beautiful.

and now, come visit the 'cafe'.
click below and browse this week's entries with me.
hope your day is blessed!

deborah xo

texture tuesday || free and easy

oh my, it's been far too long since i spent time sharing here,
but i haven't forgotten any of you just as i said in my 'last-long-ago' post!

i could go into all the details of my absence,
but for now i'll keep it short and simple to say that after a long cold winter,
as well as life's sometimes difficult journey with those we love along the way,
and gratefully watching as spring turned into summer,
it's good to be back!

i needed some time away to give my attention to some on-going family issues
but now, i can no longer put off continuing on with this passion of mine ...
i've missed it so!

for my 'welcome back' post i'm starting with a weekly favorite ...
kim's texture tuesday.

now mind you, it's been a little while since i've taken time to sit and create so i'm a bit rusty.
these lovely corn flowers were growing in the garden at our church.
after editing this image to the tone i preferred
i actually layered it with kim's 'anna' two times as follows ...

the first layer 
multiply . 60% opacity
the second layer .
screen . 25% opacity

there, you have it ... and i hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
i plan on seeing you next tuesday, and maybe even before. :)
in the meantime, we're enjoying some 'fall-like' weather here ...
it's early for these temperatures, but we're so grateful for the break from the humidity.

i'm heading over to the 'the cafe' now to see more textured images
and catch up with some old friends ...
just click the button below to come along and join me!

blessings,
- deborah
xoxo