Some of my fav photos of 2011…in no particular order…just ones that grabbed my attention when I browsed through the photos.

Love this little one holding on in the wind during this winter storm.

Wonderful old car at Annie’s parents place.

My dad shooting Easter eggs with the boys. Such fun!

My son, Michael and his soon to be wife, Lauren. Yay! Another female in the family.

Love the colors and just about everything about this photo.

Love this one I captured of downtown St. Louis when we were stuck in traffic on the Illinois side of the river.

This one of my parents makes me smile every time I see it!

…since my sister hates to have her photo taken, I couldn’t resist sharing this one, just one more time. I absolutely love this one of her and my brother-in-law. Yes, they are this fun in person too.

another bird photo…just because…

and my adorable Maggie. Of course.

Our family has had a great 2011 and we’re very grateful for all our blessings and all our friends. Hope you all have a wonderful 2012!

• Life in Focus – Blessings
• Favorite Photos of 2010
• Some of my Favorite People
• Road Trip-Estes Park Version
• Unexpected Gifts

Sometimes when I’m trying to grab a photo of the boys…they make me work really hard…

“I’m not going to look!”

“Really? Another photo? Put that camera away!”

Yawn…

But sometimes when they aren’t looking, and I’m very quiet, I get the perfect shot. Love this one!! Just a pensive moment.

…and this one of the father son male bonding moment…

• In Search of the Perfect Lighthouse Photo
• Not My Father
• Out of Focus
• September Photo of the Month
• Mooning People

Do any of you play with the iPhone app instagram? Such fun to share photos and browse through some of the cool photos on there. I just started using it but I’m kay5 on there if you want to follow me.

Leave your user name in the comments if you use instagram.

Why yes this is an iPhone pic. And, yes I’m having animal cookies, why do you ask?

I’m also testing out posting from my iPhone. We’ll see how that goes!!

• He’s So Proud Of Me!
• YouYou Meme part two
• New Way to Communicate
• While the Cat is Away
• Stumbleupon for Photo Blog Hopping

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I sometimes marvel at the wonder that is photography in my life. Did I find it…or did it find me? I look in my camera bag and pull out a lens and play and experiment and mess around with light. To me, photography is magic…

What is magic in your life?

• Lazy Fun Day
• Still Life Challenge Results
• No One is Safe Anymore
• Another Antique Mall Find
• Adventures in Studio Lighting

Shh! Don’t tell SuperGuy. It will be our little secret…

I might possibly have gotten a new lens. Yes, I know, I know. I swore off buying new lenses…

I might possibly gotten a Lensbaby Composer Pro lens. It’s a kind of tilt shift lens.

The siren call of this lens called to me. {it is not my fault!}  It’s just a really fun lens to play with!

I guess it comes as no surprise that my first subject with this lens was a beer bottle (Conveniently consumed emptied beforehand. I stop at nothing to get the best photos!)

Now I really, really mean it. No. More. Lenses. Really.

• Deep Thoughts on the First Day of the Year
• Memory Problems
• Ever Patient SuperGuy
• The Difficult Amaryllis
• Easy 1 2 3 Bread

My beloved indigo buntings have returned.

Isn’t he cute sitting out there in the rain? I saw the first one and screamed, jumped up to get my camera…and, of course, scared it away. I was patient after that. Stalked the window.

I was rewarded. More indigo bunting posing. Then it turned dark and dreary for the rest of the weekend. I’m hoping for sun today to get some more shots before they move on.

I do not know why these cute little birds thrill me so much when they come to the midwest for their few weeks in the spring. But they do. I’d love to get a shot of a feeder full of them again. I must be patient… (Oh, quit laughing, you who know me so well… I am SO a patient person…really…)

• Speaking of Blue
• First Indigo Bunting
• How Males Do Chores
• Indigo Bunting Hunting
• Hello? It’s a Bird Feeder

I found this adorable photography prop while out antiquing…

I love it. The smaller size, the color, the old leather handle. But my question is…

aren’t the initials on upside down? (or alternatively, the Samsonite is upside down…but I don’t think that’s it!)

• An Adorable Find
• It’s All in the Details
• Milk Glass Antique Finds
• In Need of a New Bed
• In a Different Light

Really, my family is SO supportive of my photography addiction…

Of course, my sister was her usual agreeable to be photographed self…

Which she decided to pass that trait on to my nephew…

Yep, I got so much cooperation…

So many nice expressions…

My sister, again…lovely

such sweet poses…

Okay, this was so not the shot I was heading for, but I love and adore this photo!  Yes, they are just that fun in real life!

I guess I’ll go out looking for random strangers to shoot…

• Favorite Photos of 2010
• Easter Egg Adventures
• All the things to be thankful for
• Rocky Mountain Sunset
• For Mother’s Day I Got

For man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive. ~ Herbert Lawrence

• Look Who’s Back in Town
• Hello? It’s a Bird Feeder
• Carmel Competition
• Boys will be Boys
• Thanksgiving

Forgive me my friends, for I have sinned bought another lens.

This time it is not my fault. My friend Janet Power was upgrading to the nicer version of this lens and offered me her old version of the lens..which I had borrowed from her before and love. It’s the 50mm 1.4 lens. See, she boxed it up all nice and mailed it to me.

So, we can’t really call this my fault, right? Janet forced me into it. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Maybe SuperGuy won’t notice it?

• It’s a Secret!
• Think Good Thoughts
• Why I’m Going to Spend Money
• horse, kind of…
• A Whole Lot of Work Left to Do