Bonnets of Blue

Posted on June 22, 2015 by April

On my morning commute into work, I have these brief moments of creative brilliance. For instance, this morning, I was sitting at a red light, as one does when driving in the city, and I came up with several bullet points for a blog post. I knew for sure, I would remember them and be able to jot them down as soon as I got to the office. But once I stepped into my office and sat down at my desk, I was suddenly mind blocked. Work things started taking the place of creative things. Which is probably a good thing, since work things pay the bills and creative things only entertain me. But it’s a bummer when I wanted to record those creative things for later use. Staring at a blank note pad, pen in hand didn’t bring the thoughts back either. So, they’re lost…until tomorrow on my next morning commute.

All that to say, I don’t have anything cool to say. But, I do have lots of photos to share…

Remember in this post I promised lots of bluebonnet and wildflower photos from my trip to the great state of Texas this past April. So here we go…

We went in early April, so it was a little early to see a lot of different wildflowers and I really didn’t get to see the sea of Bluebonnets like I had envisioned. But I still got to shoot lots of them despite how sparse they kind of were that time of year. On the bright side, the route we took gave us a good tour of the Texas hill country.Texas as a whole really is one of my favorite places, but I seem to have a special place in my heart for central Texas and the hill country in particular. I can’t explain it, but it just feels right.

We left fairly early on a Monday drove through New Mexico, West Texas, and finally arriving in the Austin area. From there we went south to New Braunfels, because Buc-ees, I’ll have to tell you about that later. It’s not just a gas station by the way. From New Braunfels, husband and I decided it was time to move further north, so we headed up to Waco. Which by the way is a super charming town, and had me at all the great eateries (Health Camp anyone?) Then sadly, it was time to head home. But today, lets focus on the reason for the trip, the flowers!

These were taken lakeside in Waco…

Notice the butterfly in the center of this photo? I didn’t have a macro lens to properly capture that quick moving sucker. Maybe next time.

These were taken outside Austin at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. An awesome stop if you ever get the chance. They have beautiful grounds.

I have tons more photos of these beautiful blues. But for now this is what I have to share. I’ll be talking about the little Texas towns I had the pleasure of visiting along the way. So there is more to come!

Also, any of you know of an easy to use photo editing software? I am using a pretty clunky system now, it’s very time consuming, and apparently I can’t seem to get my watermark to be consistently less intrusive. I have played around with Photoshop and enjoy using it, but it’s so expensive. I’m leaning towards purchasing Elements since it’s a little more user friendly and not as costly. Any thoughts?

Semi-New

Posted on May 30, 2015 by April

Remember when I mentioned that it was time for something new in this post? Well, I’ve done something sort of new. If you haven’t noticed, The Yellow Casa is no more, but she’s been replaced by something new. I’d like to introduce you to….awkward drumroll please….. Semi-Seasonal!

Why is this blog now Semi-Seasonal? Does this mean that you’ll only be blogging semi-seasonally? No, but after looking at my most recent posting history it would appear so. The Yellow Casa is now Semi-Seasonal, because the writer behind blog happens to have a semi-seasonal name. My first name being April and my last name being a season of which I don’t think I’ll be sharing just yet. But you have four guesses which season follows my first name.

After much deliberation, I decided I was proud of what I’ve done here over the past 5 years, and I couldn’t just abandon all that randomness. Sure this blog mainly consists of musings of an awkward sweet tea addict who quotes waaay too many obscure TV shows, and really wants her dogs to be internet famous, but it’s mine, and I like it. I still don’t know if I’ll be taking a different direction with the blog. I hear that it’s best to pick a niche and stick with it, but my interests don’t really fit into a niche. Plus, I get bored very easily. So, there probably won’t be any niche writing. The writing you find here, although random, will hopefully put a smile on your face, just as you dear reader have put a smile on mine.

So, here’s to new beginnings!

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:19

5 years…

Posted on May 25, 2015 by April

I forgot my blogiversary. Does this make me a bad blogger? Is this like forgetting your child’s birthday? Does this in essence make me a bad mother?? My blog baby has been neglected, I’ve forgotten the day that marks it’s birth. I am a bad mother. At least to my blog. And it’s a big blogiversary too, 5 years! If my blog were a child she’d be wanting a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, and would be preparing for Kindergarten in the fall. And probably wouldn’t let me forget about the day she entered this world. But alas, a blog is not a being that can tell me how she feels.

So, for 5 years now I’ve been gabbing about this and that, and wondering why I do it. But I’m still here. Maybe not as regularly scheduled as I used to be, but still here none the less. In this post I talked about doing something new and improved. That’s still in works, news coming soon about that. It may not be as new as I had thought, but it will be improved.

Dear Blog, I’m sorry I forgot our most important day of all to celebrate you and I, me and you, blogger and blog…together. I’ll try to make it up to the best I can. How about dinner at Chuck E Cheese. I hear 5 year olds like that.

Maybe some flowers will make it up to you…they always make me happy.

Made Fresh Everyday

Posted on April 16, 2015 by April

Well, spwint has come and gone along with March, and much of April…I haven’t been keeping up with my online accounts. And honestly, I won’t make promises that I’ll keep up with it here on the blog. Life keeps happening, and sometimes, you just have to let it happen.

I’ve been considering starting up a new blog, a fresh start. One that is more centered on photography instead of a personal account of my life. Actually, this new blog would probably still be a little personal as I enjoy capturing photographic evidence that things do happen in my life. It would just be less words more pictures. Again, let me go back (circular thoughts are awesome)…there will probably be words, as I LOVE words. But sometimes, trying to come up with a blog post and photos that match, has just become a bit tedious for me. And I don’t think a hobby should be tedious.

On top of that, this blog has been feeling stale the past couple of years. I can’t really explain why it has started to feel like a fast food salad tastes. Maybe I’ve been keeping this blog at room temperature while the instructions on the box clearly read, “KEEP REFRIGERATED”. But it doesn’t bring me the same amount of joy it did in the past, and I think it’s time for something different. That something different may not happen for a while. I’m still thinking about it, letting it stew a little bit. Hopefully soon something will be fully cooked, and I can keep it refrigerated for some yummy left overs later on.

Time is not on my side

Posted on January 15, 2015 by April

Time, it’s constant, never stops, but I’m always surprised when so much of it has passed. Funny how time seems to go by so slowly when you’re living it, but then when you look at the time that has passed, it’s unbelievable how fast it went.

I realize I haven’t blogged since this past July. I thought I’d let it go, and move on to something else. But lately, I’ve found myself re-visiting my old posts, and remembering those times in my life and even remembering how nice it was to blog about those times. So, I’ve decided to give it another go-round. I don’t know if I’ll be consistent, apparently, consistency seems to be a hard concept for me to understand. But this blog thing, it might be just the thing I need right now.

Downtown San Antonio

Posted on July 1, 2014 by April

Photos taken with great care, then edited, then forgotten for two years. That’s the story behind these shots and many, many others.

A couple years ago, Bubba and I went to visit San Antonio and Austin Texas. It was our second trip to southern Texas. Apparently we like to visit places twice just to make sure we like them. Anyways, San Antonio was nice the first time around, the second time around the traffic got to us, and we didn’t stay in a very peaceful part of town, so that may have had something to do with the less than relaxing visit. Particularly the traffic on I-35 between San Antonio and Austin. I couldn’t imagine making that commute everyday. But we still enjoyed our trip and took a ridiculous amount of photos. As always…

We’ll start with one of my favorite spots in San Antonio, downtown. I love the old buildings in downtown San An, there’s something special about the artistic touches put into architecture from days long gone….

While in the area we got to visit the Texas State Capitol building, the missions on the mission trail, and lots of other touristy sites. Since it’s nearly been two years since our visit, I’ve forgotten a lot of the details. All the more reason to label photos better I suppose. And maybe blog about them sooner.

Anywho…Happy Tuesday all!

Plans to take over the world

Posted on June 9, 2014 by April

Funny how we make plans, plans that include so many awesome things…but it’s so much easier to sit on the couch and pretend you never made those plans. I don’t really know where that thought was taking me, just that my plans don’t seem to be working out. No big plans, I don’t intend on taking over the world or anything (and then suddenly I had the urge to youtube the Pinky and Brain theme song. In all it’s awesome early 90’s glory. You’re welcome!)…like I was saying no plans to take over the world, just small things like, throw out the food that is proving Darwinism true, or any host of other household chores that may or may not be evolving into new life forms.

Making plans is the easy part, following through with those plans, now that’s when it gets tricky. Maybe I’ll just sit here on the couch a little longer and contemplate my plans some more…contemplating is the first step to follow through isn’t it?

Thought Moth

Posted on May 21, 2014 by April

Today marks 4 years of blogging. The first 3 years were fun and full of wonder, I was even Freshly Pressed (see here and here) ! But this year the magic seems to be petering out. To put out a post has become tedious, and daunting. And it’s not from lack of content, I’ve got plenty of ideas, plenty of photos that need editing and shared, plenty of words (in fact my hubby would probably prefer I share those words on here rather than rattling on about paint colors, yarn categories, or Doctor Who during the basketball game) . I just can’t seem to settle my thoughts down enough on one topic to get something posted. Those thoughts just keep flitting around in my little head like those annoying moths that knock around on porch lights during the summer. Once I feel like I’ve grasped one, I look between my clasped fingers and see that the thought has escaped to join the others to flit around the porch light again. It’s frustrating, and annoying…

All of this reminds of the words of Oswald Chambers in reference to Matthew 6:26-28:

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . .

Here’s what Oswald had to say about it:

“Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as “the lilies of the field.”

I take from that, focus on our heavenly Father instead of those annoying moths that keep escaping my reach, because our Father is always within reach. And if I stay focused on Him, then the right thought moth will come along.

Anyways, all this to say, it’s my blogs 4th birthday, and even though I’ve kind of been ignoring her the past few months, I’m glad she exists.

To celebrate here’s some daffodils in a mason jar!

Happy almost Friday Eve everyone!

JOY

Posted on February 28, 2014 by April

I started writing this post January 30th, here we are on the last day of February and it’s still not posted. In fact, I haven’t even touched this poor little neglected blog since the second to the last day of January. Odd, how life works. Guess I needed time away from being an active participant of the interwebs for a while. There comes a time when you just need to take a seat and spend some time in the audience.

Anyways, on with the show…

Many bloggers have what they call a word of the year, a word that they will focus on throughout the year. And they will usually write an inspirational post about that word, and how it will be somewhat life altering. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

I on the other hand, don’t write posts with the intent of altering lives…as I selfishly indicated in this post, I write for myself. But, if any of these random words I have strung together here do touch someone else in a special way (and yes, I know what that sounded like.) then great. But in the end, these posts are for myself, to look back on. And with that in mind, and to be a trend follower in a way, I’ve chosen a word to think about as I muddle through the path set before me. And to remind myself what this path is really all about:

I will seek joy in the small things, joy in the big things, joy in the happy things, joy in the sad things, joy in anger, joy in tribulations, and yes…I will even seek joy while I’m scraping last nights dinner off the dishes I was too lazy to do the night before. And, I don’t only want to be a joy seeker, I want to be a joy giver, a joy bringer, I want to be the Santa Claus of joy!

Actually, that can’t happen because Christ already has that title, but I want to be as close to the Santa Claus of joy as I can possibly be. If there were one of those carnival strong man games that measured how full of joy you are, and there were a Jesus level, I’d want to be at that level. I want to be so full of Christ-like joy I ooze it onto those I encounter.

I pledge to myself, to avoid those things that I have allowed to take my joy, and if they are unavoidable, I will try to find joy in those situations. I’ll be honest, I’ve sort of failed at this lately. With some annoying health issues cropping up the past couple months I’ve found it hard to be joyful, and even harder to spread joy. Instead, I’ve been spreading the grump, it’s like a horrible infectious disease that eats away at it’s carrier and can easily rub off on those nearby. But, that’s gonna change because I can hear those bells…the Santa Claus of eternal joy is always near by all I have to do is listen.

Shoot Happy: Siesta

Posted on October 21, 2013 by April

So, I blogged for 7 days straight last week, didn’t think that could happen, but low and behold it did. Let’s see if we can keep up with the schedule this week. Although, so far, I’m not doing so well, it’s currently as I write this post, it 11:40 on Sunday night, So, I’ve already missed the first day of this 7 day week. You see, I’m sneaky and like to schedule these posts to publish the morning after I’ve written them, so technically this post will be Monday’s post, which would be the second day of the week, since I’m using 7 day weeks that start on Sunday. Confused yet, me too, I think I need to lie down.

Oh, and by the way, this post is part of a 31 day series I’m taking part in. I’ve vowed to shoot ,or at least post some photos, I’ve shot using my nifty 50mm lens over the month of October. You can start reading the series here.

I had planned on writing a long detailed post, but when I sat down to write it, it just didn’t sing to me, ya know what i mean? The whole weekend has kind of been like that, big plans to do lots of stuff. But then…netflix. Or in the case of this weekend…naptime. Bubba, the dogs and I just sort of slept our weekend away. Nothing got done, aside from the dishes, laundry, and the floors, because come on, I live with dogs, you can’t just skip a swiftering or swiffering, whatever the verb tense would be to swifter. But ya know what, I wouldn’t change it, sometimes a quiet weekend is the best kind of weekend. There’s nothing like curling up in your favorite napping spot and taking a little siesta.

Or throwing icy stares at the unfortunate soul who had the nerve to wake you from your blissful slumber.

Love you too Annie-Dog!

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