A Year With My Camera - The Adventure Continues - Lesson 1

  Two weeks into this class and I am already taking better photos. If you like to take pictures and want to improve your photography skills, you will want to participate in A Year With My Camera. The best part? It's a free class! 

   The first lesson deals with exposure. Ok, this should be an easy lesson. Most of us usually have our camera set on auto and let it decide how much light comes in through the lens. Well here's the thing, when you have your camera set on the auto mode, it is programmed to assume the overall tone of the image is 18% grey. So how does that affect your photo? It means that white will turn grey and black will turn grey. What?! Sounds crazy but it's true. That's why photos of with a lot of  white in them will look grey. And photographing a dark object in a dark room will turn grey. Don't believe me? Get a white piece of paper and take a picture of it. Make sure the whole frame is white. Do the same with a black piece of paper.  You'll probably have to put your camera on manual focus to take the picture. Compare the two photos. Can you tell which one was which? As you read this you're probably thinking "Of course I'll be able to tell the difference. One will be white and the other black." Are you sure?

    Here's what happened when I did this experiment using my Nikon D40 with a 18-55mm lens. My camera was set in the auto mode with manual focus. When I tried use auto focus the lens couldn't lock on anything.

Black Paper - F/4.5, ISO 800, Shutter speed 1/10 sec

 

White Paper - F/4.5, ISO 400, Shutter speed 1/80 sec

  So can you tell the difference? No? I didn't think so. Don't feel bad. I couldn't tell them apart either. The only way I knew which one was which was I knew which color I photographed first. This lesson was a real eye opener for me.

  Last year I was doing the Capture Your 365 class and one of the prompts was White on White. I took a white pitcher set it on the snow. Did my photo turn out White on White? No it sure didn't. I was on auto mode and my camera automatically adjusted my picture to grey. It was awful. I had to edit the picture in PhotoShop Elements to make the photo work for the prompt and even then it was still underexposed.

 

   

F/8.0, ISO 200, Shutter speed 1/250 sec

  I'm doing Capture Your 365 again this year and when the White prompt came I was ready. This year I made the adjustments I needed to get a white, not grey, photo without having to edit. My subject this year is a white bowl with brown eggs. I use white foam boards for the table top and the background. I took my camera off auto and set in aperture mode. I didn't know what F Stop to set my camera on so I started at the lowest. The result was super overexposed. So much so that all I saw was white. So I adjusted my F Stops a couple setting higher and tried again. Still overexposed but I could start to see details in the photo. I took the F Stop up a couple of more and that time my photo turned out perfect. What a difference between last year and this year!

F/4.2, ISO 1600, Shutter Speed 1/125 sec

   I did have to adjust my ISO to 1600 because I didn't have good, natural light. The white is white and the detail of the bowl is crisp. I was able to complete this prompt with a great photo without editing!

    The aperture mode on your camera means that you determine what F Stop the camera will use and the camera determines the other settings. The aperture is how much light the lens lets into the camera. When the light is bright, in auto mode the lens will allow just a little bit of light in by closing the opening in the lens to get that 18% grey it's programmed for. When the light is low the lens will widen the opening to allow more light in. The camera lens is like our pupils - constricts when we're in sunlight and expands when we're in the dark. The confusing part is the wider the opening in the lens the smaller the F Stop number and vice versa. So that means a very small opening in the lens for sunlight has a high number, like F/16 and when the lens is opened wide for low light the F Stop could be a low as F/1.4 It can get confusing but once you start playing with the settings and taking pictures this will become natural to you.

   I want to be able to take photos that need little editing. Am I still going to have to edit my photos even after finishing this class? Of course. There will be photos I take where my main goal is to just capture the memory. Those photos will be taken with my camera on auto. It's the photos where I'm expressing my creativity, the ones I plan and set up that I want to be almost perfect. These will be the photos I take with my camera off the auto setting. These are the photos that will be the most fun taking. And the most challenging. And the most frustrating. And well, you get the idea.

    I hope this helps a little bit for you to understand your camera better and improve your photo taking skills. If you want to learn more about your camera and become a better photographer take A Year With My Camera. Fo.r a boost in your creativity sign up for Capture Your 365.

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Down Home at Dee's

Goals 2018 - Making and Achieving Them

   The beginning of a new year always brings our focus to goals. What are we going to do with this new year that is before us? What changes are we going to do to make our life better?  Everyone has these thoughts in one way or another. Some of us have clear goal in mind and commit them to paper. Others have a vague intention floating around in their head. Well, I'm no different. Every year I set goals for myself. I set big goals and small goals. Sometimes I stick with them, at least for part of the year, other times these goals go by the wayside before I even get through the month of January. Then I deal with the guilt of failure. Which isn't a feeling I want hanging around. Do you? No, I didn't think so. This burden weights me down. I get overwhelmed and the result is I get paralyzed and I give up on my goals. I become adrift, floundering each day to try to figure out how to get back on track.

   This year I've decided to set my goals but plan them out differently. Many are the same that I've had every year but this time I'm breaking them down to manageable sizes and steps. I'm taking my big goals, my stretch goals, and dividing them into small pieces. I'm setting my goals by the year, breaking them down to monthly, then weekly and finally daily steps. After all, I can eat an elephant one bite at a time. In the past I've set my goals then tried to shove the elephant down my throat whole. You can imagine just how well that worked!

   Well, how am I breaking them down? And what is my plan if I don't meet my daily and monthly goals? What is my plan if I DO meet my weekly and monthly goals? Well I'm glad you asked.

   Most times a goal for the year is a vague idea. I'll use the example of getting healthier. Yes, this is one of my goals for the year. It's been a goal of mine every year for as long as I can remember.  I'm sure it has been or is currently on your list too.  So how do we take this goal from a vague idea to a solid commitment? Here are the steps I'm doing to make this happen for me.

Big Goal = Be Healthier.

Break down to smaller bites -

Monthly -

Walk daily

Drink plenty of water

Exercise frequently

Improve my eating habits

These are really vague but I have a guideline of where I want to start.

So now I create weekly steps.

Walk 5 miles every day

Drink daily recommend amount of water

Exercise weekly

Eat more fruits and veggies and less sugar.

   As you can see my monthly goals are still somewhat vague but can be refined and the big goal has been broken down.

Let break this goal down even further to become more specific.

Daily -

11,000 steps a day - equals a little over 5 miles a day and if I don't look like I'm going to achieve this goal I will hop on my treadmill until I do.

Drink 64 oz of water daily - that's 4 -16 oz bottles a day.

Exercise 3 times a week - I have set aside a 30 minute block of time in my calendar to exercise Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I found a quick circuit training program online.

Eat healthier - basic meal planning and keeping track of what I eat. Logging what I eat has really opened my eyes to the areas to my "trouble" foods and eating habits. I'm not dieting but I am watching my calorie intake and output using a fitness app.

   I have a Fitbit Charge 2 I love and it keeps track of my steps, water, exercise and calories. There are many apps available that will monitor this activity for you if you don't have a Fitbit. There is RunKeeper and My Fitness Pal that link together.  I used these before I got a Fitbit and they work great. But I also write my steps and water in my planner. I use the Get To Work Book to keep track of my life. I find that I am more accountable when I can see each day's result written down. I also put all of my goals on a graph chart where I color in each block with fun color pens on the days I met my goals. But that's what works best for me. Design your accountability system with what works for you.

  

   Now for the fun part. Setting rewards for myself if I achieve my goals. Yes, you must reward yourself for a "job well done". But here's the catch, your reward can't be something you would do anyway. It has to be a special something. I do advise if you decide to use the reward of food, like a favorite treat, you plan for it in your diet/calorie intake and only do if you have the self discipline to only eat the amount you determine ahead of time.

   Well how am I planning on rewarding myself for a "job well done"? With fun things of course!!

Meeting my step goal for 75% of the month (that's 23 days out of the month) - Pedicure

Drinking 64oz water daily for 75% of the month - Manicure

Exercising 3 times a week for 85% of the month (that's 10 day out of the month) - I haven't figured out what is a good reward for this one.

Eating healthier - not sure about this one either.

   I decided that I would be easy on myself and not set my goals too high where it would be difficult for me to reach but at the same time I didn't think want my goals to be too low where it wasn't a challenge. I also decided to give myself a buffer by allowing for days/weeks where I didn't meet my goal. By doing that I won't be as likely to quit moving forward if I mess up a day /week. As time goes on I'll adjust the amount I have to meet before getting my reward.

   So how am I doing so far? Well, I met my step and water goal every day last week but didn't exercise at all. This week I've met my step goal one day, have hit my water goal four days and exercised once this week. I still have today and tomorrow to finish out the week.

   I've reached the end of the second week of the month and I am reevaluating my goals and my reward system. Life happens and we have to be able to adjust. After looking my goals over I've decided to keep them as they are. I don't think that I've chosen goals that are unobtainable but they are a stretch for me. I've restructured my reward system and broke it down by the week then month. This way every week I can start fresh.

New reward system -

Meeting my step goal 5 out of 7 days a week for 3 weeks of the month - Pedicure

Drinking 64oz water daily 5 out of 7 day a week for 3 weeks of the month - Manicure

Exercising 3 times a week - exercise at least once a week for the month - still don't have a reward decided. Maybe a treat from a bakery?

Eat healthier - eating healthy 5 out of 7 days a week for 3 weeks of the month - not sure about this reward either. 

   The two reward systems are basically the same just worded differently. The fist one allows for 7 days to be missed but that's any 7 days of the month. The second reward system allows 8 days to be missed but only 2 each week. The second reward system requires more accountability. I'm going to try them both and see which one works better for my personality. That's the key with goal setting and rewards. Knowing yourself and what is the best way to make yourself accountable.

   Setting goals and meeting them is a day by day activity. Be flexible. Evaluate. Try again. Reevaluate. Start again. Keep moving forward. Remember progress not perfection.
 

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Down Home at Dee's

A Year With My Camera

   In my Facebook group CaptureYour365 someone posted about a year long class called A Year with My Camera. Wait, I thought, what is that? This sounds really interesting. So of course, onto Google I go to find out more about this class. And what did I find? I found an opportunity for Free Online Photography Lessons that will help me to take photos I'll be proud of. Well alright then. I'm in!!

   The class instructor sends out an email every Thursday with all the instructions for each week. There are Workbooks and a Planner that goes along with the course but you don't need these books. The emails will have everything in them. I like to have something I can review and write in so I decided that I wanted the books, so I ordered them from Amazon. The books and planner are well written and definitely worth getting if you're looking to step up your game with your photography, I'm really excited to give this a try. The fun part is that A Year with My Camera will build my skills for the Capture Your 365 project. Capture Your 365 is geared towards promoting more creativity and daily routine for photography while A Year with My Camera deals with the technical aspects of photography.

 

   The class doesn't officially start until January 4th but to get me in practice there's a pre-class assignment of Make 30 Photos. This is not a take a photo a day challenge and I don't have to complete it in 30 days. There is a list of 30 different prompts to help me to think about my photos before I take them. To get me out of the habit of just taking a photo and to start making my photos.  Many times I'll just grab my camera, point it at the subject and click the button. I don't think about what I'm doing before I do it. Yea, I'll check composition and try to stay with the rule of thirds but I don't always look at the background. What's going to show up behind my subject? I really hate when I have a great subject, take a photo then when I look at it I'm distracted by stuff in the background. That is so aggravating!! If it's not too bad I might be able to fix the picture in Adobe PhotoShop Elements. But that takes time and patience, two things I don't always have an abundance of.

    So far I only have about six of the thirty photos completed. But the exciting thing is I'm now looking for ideas. I'm looking around trying to find subjects that will fulfill a prompt. I always carry my camera with me but I don't always take it out of the camera bag and use it. It's not going to take too many pictures like that. The only way I'm going to become a better photographer is to get my camera out of the bag, in my hands and in front of my face. With that said, my goal for the rest of 2017 is to finish taking the photos for the prompts listed. I got this!!

 

4 - Taken at Midday

 10 - Food

 

30 - Texture

 

21 - Just Two Colors

 

19 - Wildlife (I may be stretching this prompt a bit!)

 

9 - Older Than Me (Established in 1880)

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures I've taken. Please feel free to let me know what you think. I would love to have feedback on my "work". I can't really call this work because it's just so much fun!!

Thanks for visiting with me at

Down Home at Dee's

 

 

 

The Good Samaritan - John Marrs

Wow!! I'm not sure how to describe this book. 

   I once was told that if a book invoked feelings when you read it then it was a good book. If the book invoked strong feelings then it was a great book. By this criteria, The Good Samaritan is a great book. Let me start with how the story made me feel. Sympathy, anger, frustration, claustrophobic, horror, empathy, and sadness are a few of the emotions that come to mind. The one thing I dislike are open ended stories however that  is a personal preference and a writing technique that doesn't affect the story content.  This book was gripping and the ending left me with so many conflicted emotions. Most of them disturbing. And questions.What happened next?

   The story begins with a phone call. As the conversation unfolds I realized that one person is encouraging the other, a man, to do something but I don't know what. He is resolved on accomplishing what he is planning.  Then he meets a woman but the woman is having second thoughts. I still don't know what the person on the phone is determined for these two people to do.  But after the person who is "in charge" calls the woman I, realize what the task is and I am horrified. How can one person be so evil and encourage others to take their lives for their own personal gratification? The end of the prologue left me stunned.

   Laura and Ryan are the two main characters of this book. The first portion of the book is about Laura. I learn Laura volunteers at a organization called End of the Line. End of the Line is a call center for trouble people to call and talk to people who will listen and help them. Many of these people are depressed and often suicidal. Usually they are looking for someone to offer them hope. The unlucky ones find Laura. Laura believes she is "helping" when she guides callers towards taking their own lives. Laura hides who she really is very successfully and is fully aware of what she is doing. She presents herself as the maternal type. Someone who is helpful, loving and kind. Because that type of person would never be considered a threat. That type of person can get away with almost anything. 

   As the chapters go on, I find that Laura doesn't like her life. She hates the house she lives in, her marriage is in trouble and there is a mystery around one of her children. The fact that Laura's childhood was difficult comes as no surprise but the events that she suffered through causes me to have sympathy for her. How awful for a child to have to suffer through what she did. Losing her mother to illness, her father and two sisters dying and then the things she suffered while in the care of a foster parent. So although I am horrified by the way she "helps" people in a way I do understand how she can justify it to herself. Laura truly believes she is helping people but is honest enough with herself to admit that she does not do it out of selflessness, she admits that she does this because she craves the control over another person and the thrill of hearing their last breath. 

   Laura is as deceitful and manipulative to her family as she is with others. Laura  does everything she can to make others do what she wants and to make situations turn out the way she wants. She has no limits to what she will do even if it hurts her children.  I  Laura because she is manipulative and mean but at the same time I admire her because she is honest with herself about who she is. How many of us can honestly say we admit who we really are? Laura disguises her true self to others but never to herself. 

   The second part of the book is when we meet Ryan. Ryan has lost his wife. She is found dead. Ryan doesn't want to accept the fact that his wife committed suicide until all the evidence presented by the police gives him no choice. He is devastated. He loved Charlotte and the baby she was carrying and  believed they had a wonderful future together. Ryan cycles through the stages of grief but as anyone that has dealt with loosing a loved one to suicide these stages of grief are not the same as loosing a loved one through an accident or illness. There's the added component of trying to understand why our loved one felt so desperate that they saw killing themselves as the only way to end the pain. We deal with the additional guilt of questioning our actions. Did we do anything that caused them to feel that was their only option? How could we not see how sad and depressed they were? Was there anything we could have done to prevent their death?  We try to find answers to the why they did it. It was during the stage of trying to find out why that Ryan came across Laura and The End of the Line.

   Now I find out to what extent that Ryan will go in order to find answers and to confront Laura to make her confess her treachery. I learn that even the "good guy" isn't always so good. That when faced with situations that the normal mind cannot comprehend, emotions take over and the resulting actions lead to fatal and devastating consequences. 

You'll have to read the book to find out all that happens with Laura, her family and Ryan. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for visiting with me at

Down Home at Dee's

Thanksgiving - Fantasy vs. Reality

  

 

   Every year I have this fantasy of what my Thanksgiving will be like.  I see a house full of family and friends. Everyone is dressed festive but comfortable, each reflecting their individual sense of style. I see my friends and family talking, laughing and having a good time. Some are standing around in groups with small plates of appetizers and others are standing next to the appetizer table snacking. We all have a glass of freshly made holiday punch. Kids are bundled up and playing outside. Jumping in leaf piles, running around playing tag or jumping on the trampoline.

   The appetizer table is covered with wonderful, bite sized creations that never fill anyone up no matter how much they eat. There's a carefully laid out cheese and cracker tray, a veggie tray, an assortment of delightful fresh baked savory and sweet tarts and of course, a homemade cheese ball. The appetizers and the punch miraculously, never run low. My holiday decorations are perfectly arranged as if ready for a magazine shoot. The house is filled with wonderful aromas of delicious cooking food and soft music plays in the background. Over the music, I hear the hum of conversations around me. I flutter around the room talking to everyone. I catch up on the current events happening with friends and family.  I am graciously accepting compliments on how beautiful my house looks and enjoying the spotlight, but being modest about my accomplishments.

   Suddenly, it's time to sit down and eat. The table is gorgeously set with beautiful dishes and piled high with perfectly cooked food. The stuffing is a gorgeous golden brown. The green beans have a perfectly placed pat of melting butter on top. The mashed potatoes are beautifully whipped. The gravy is hot and thick with no lumps. Biscuits look like they will just melt in your mouth and homemade honey butter waits to be slathered on a piping hot biscuit. And the turkey. The turkey is the picture of perfection. Crisp golden-brown skin covering moist turkey meat. Then there is the dessert table, filled with all kinds of home baked goodies. All my guests gush over how scrumptious the food appears, how delicious the dessert table looks and how beautiful the table settings are.

   We all find our seats that are marked with adorable place markers I made. The children have come inside, washed their hands and are quietly waiting for their food to be put on their plates. A simple but heartfelt Thanks is said and now we get down to eating. Bowls of food are passed around and everyone fills their plates. The children sit, eat what's put on their plates and politely join in the conversation with the adults. The food never runs out and everyone gets their fill.  Thanksgiving dinner goes off without a hitch and everyone has a great, relaxing time.

   Yea, I know. I've been watching too many Hallmark movies. So what would my Thanksgiving really be like? About the only thing that my fantasy and real life Thanksgiving have in common is a house full of people. Other than that, well, I'll let you decide.

   Everyone arrives at the same time and it's a bottle neck to get in the door. Once inside the kids are running around the house yelling and chasing each other. The dog decides to chase the cat and knocks over the table with my "meticulously" arranged appetizers. These "meticulously" arranged appetizers consists of slices of cheese and crackers thrown on a paper plate, chips in a bowl with the dip still in the store container and carrot nubs with a bottle of ranch dressing. There's not a tart or cheese ball to be seen. The dog suddenly stops chasing the cat to clean up the mess by gobbling up what spilled. The kids who are now chasing the dog all try to stop suddenly and land in a pile, resulting in the child on the bottom receiving the brunt of everyone's weight and is now in major crying mode. Adults wade into the fray to pull children off the pile and end up with bruised legs as kids trying to untangle themselves are kicking anything in reach. Once that riotous event has been smoothed out, the kids and dog are sent outside to run.

   During this chaotic time, I notice that there seems to be more friends and family than I planned for. But no, that can't be. If anyone decided to bring a guest they would let me know. Right? Wouldn't they? I begin to casually do a head count and come up with four over. Huh. So I do another head count. Yep. Four more than planned. Hmmm . . . Now I have to figure out what four. Are they adults or children? This makes a difference since normally children eat less than adults and I have just enough food. Four additional children would explain why there was so much excitement when everyone arrived. However, my hopes are soon dashed as I realize that my son's partner, that wasn't going to come, is now here. Then I spy my daughter and see that she has her niece and the little boy that lives next door in tow. One adult. Two kids. Ok. I'm still in good shape. Until I see the missing fourth person. It's my son-in-law's brother. I know I'm in trouble now because he can pack food away. But I love that more of my family are here, the more the merrier!

   As the adults finish cleaning up the mess of the appetizers, I dash to the kitchen to check on the cooking food.  The potatoes are boiling and ready to be mashed, the green beans are cooking and the store-bought biscuits are ready to go in the oven. I open the oven to make sure my turkey is browning nicely only to find the oven isn't hot. I forgot to turn it on!! What do I do now?! I run into the living room with a look of panic on my face and say "I forgot to turn on the oven! I have a raw turkey!" I receive stunned looks from all who hear my announcement. My daughter calmly picks up her purse, grabs her keys and heads out the door. Everyone left in the room is staring at each other with looks of horror and puzzlement. Horror because there won't be any turkey on Thanksgiving and puzzlement because we're wondering where my daughter is going. Then everyone begins to talk at once and the children are crying.

   I make my escape back to the kitchen to begin digging in the refrigerator for something to replace the turkey. I hear the front door slam and in my haste to see what's going on, I hit my head on the refrigerator.  I hurry into the living room rubbing my head and see my daughter is holding a plastic bag from the local grocery store. We all gather around her wanting to know what is in the bag and find . . . ground turkey. All right then. Sore head forgotten, I grab the bag, race back into the kitchen, quickly make up turkey meatballs and throw them in the oven. Yes, I make sure the oven is on. I drain and mash the potatoes which turn out very lumpy. Throw butter in the green beans and shove the biscuits in the oven. Jar turkey gravy is spooned into a bowl and heats in the microwave.

   When the food is done I yell for everyone to grab a plate and eat. I almost get trampled as everyone stampedes into the kitchen to get food. Children fuss about what they won't eat. Parents tell them to eat what's put on their plate. The noise level rises. Everyone finds a spot to sit, eat and visit. The dog steals food when she can, causing the big kids to laugh and the little ones to cry. Adults hurry up and eat, grab the kids, clean them off and rush out the door after hasty goodbyes. When silence descends and the coast appears clear, I gingerly step out of the kitchen. Thanksgiving dinner by most standards would be considered a disaster as this was not a relaxing event but all in all, everyone had a good time because we are spending time with those we love. After all, who needs a boring, quiet, movie scene Thanksgiving dinner. Good thing I don't. But maybe, just once . . . .

Thanks for visiting with me at
Down Home at Dee's

Blogging - Looking Back - Part 2

  I started another blog on October 4, 2013 and I called it A Little Bit of Everything. I changed the name and the web address because I changed my email. I couldn't merge my old email that my original blog was under and the new email so I decided to start a new blog. This blog lasted until June 11, 2016 with a big gap in posts between May and December 2014. During this time I got involved in a relationship that ended with my heart being devastated after I dropped my guard and allowed myself to love again. I don't get over heartbreak quick or easy and writing seems to help me heal. Or at least keep me busy so I don't focus on the hurt.

   As I  begin another trip down memory lane, the first post on my new blog tells of the new addition I made to my household. My wonderful pup Rosie. This blog is more of a mix of memories, events and projects. I talk about places and things I've done, classes I signed up for, photo challenges I participated in, goals I set, 52 Lists Project, Project Life progress, projects I completed, baking ideas, products I tried and my start into woodworking. This blog is definitely more if a diary style blog. A lifestyle blog. When I first started reading my posts I wasn't sure of what I thought about it. But as I kept reading I find I like it. It's nice mix. I very well may keep this style up.

   I started Project Lift again in 2014 but didn't complete it. I don't think I got up to February done. I also started a PL album in 2013. I got further along in that year but still didn't complete it. I don't remember if I began a Project Life album for 2015 but I know I did for 2016. I have one for 2017 and I am doing a lot better toward finishing it than I have in the past. The four years I've not completed are projects that will be added to my long term Project Bucket goal list.

    2016 is when I discovered Ali Edwards and her One Little Word class.  I signed up and chose the word Focus. I did get almost five months worth of lessons done and then life derailed me. My mother came for a visit. What was going to be a two week visit ended up a five month stay. There were so many things my mother wanted to do that after her debilitating surgery in 2008 she has not had the opportunity to do. Then she had to have emergency heart and was not able to return home until she had completely recovered. It was during this time that I quit blogging.

   I enjoy sharing and writing about my life. I find this to be very therapeutic for me. I often think "Maybe one day someone will do a google search and find my page. Maybe I'll have a post that will help them or give them an answer to a question they have or just make them smile." Sure I would love to make money from blogging as so many others do but that's not my main goal here. My goal is to just share. Share the projects I make and how to make them, give reviews of products I've tried, tell about places I've been, progress I'm making on projects I'm doing, and well, you get the idea. A lifestyle blog.

Thanks for visiting with me at

Down Home at Dee's