Author: Clare at CatsEatDogs

Through The Lens Thursday #28 Eyes

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This week I chose these game pieces as my ‘eyes’ photo (s).  They are from a game called ‘Go to the Head of the Class’ and I only have the players, no board or instructions.   I like that the eyes are very simply drawn but they are all so different and convey each character so well.   I am not sure how politically correct these schoolyard stereotypes are now, but I really like them and their funny little faces, ready to go to the head of the class! Through the Lens Thursday is hosted by Writing Wishing and Gfunkified blogs and I am learning so much. I took the pictures on my Canon Rebel and collated them in Canva.

June Photo a Day 2014

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Here are the photos from June, a little late, but here we are huffing and puffing and sitting at the back.  What did you get up to in June?  Is it summer or winter with you?  It is heating up here and I am already looking forward to cooler weather, I know, I am a cool weather girl. 1. Joy.  I find great joy in Flow magazine, it is one of my favourites. 2. Doing.  Playing Top Trumps – Horrible Histories (and they really are!) with my youngest. 3. Family.  Off to mow our neighbour’s lawm. 4. Ordinary.  An ever growing patch of mint. 5. 11 o’clock.  The edamame is growing well. 6. Adventure.  To the top of the Gateway Arch! 7. Pattern.  Gorgeous funghi. 8. T is for.  Trainers, back from a run.  Even though I live in America, I still call them trainers rather than sneakers or tennis shoes (I don’t even play tennis, come to think of it, I don’t do much sneaking either). 9. We Live Here.  St Louis on an …

Weekly Photos 27/52 and Green.

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What a lovely week, the weather was so lovely, cool (less than 80 degrees counts) and sunny.  I went to Warped Tour with my 13 year old and we had a great time, the garden is awash with green and tomatoes and flowers and we had a trip out to Shaw Nature Reserve on another delicious cool day. Of course I know we are to expect many days reaching a million degrees, but these pockets of bearable are so worth it.  It means we can get out and about and see what St Louis has to say for itself. This is what is said this week, in photos. 1.  The inflatable schedule at Warped Tour, St Louis 2.  Harvest of garlic and lavender. 3.  The ever growing sunflowers are now 6 feet tall (I measured the tallest). 4.  The Hibiscus flowers are unfurling. 5. Thistles at Shaw Nature Reserve. 6.  The Sod House at Shaw, who doesn’t want grass on the roof!? 7.  Pretty Black Eyed Susie flowers. 8.  A very dry creek, these stepping …

Six Word Saturday

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  We went to Shaw Nature Reserve today and the weather was cool, the sun was shady and the flowers were out. I snapped lots of photos and this one became this week’s Six Word Saturday. If you want to make a Six Word Saturday, snap a photo and write over it using an app like Rhonna Designs (the one I used here), A Beautiful Mess, Over, Phonto or Little Moments to name a few.  This font in Rhonna Designs is one of my current favourites. Once you have your pic and words (six please), share on your blog or on Instagram using #SixWordSaturday.  I will come and see them and smile a great big smile! Yay. Happy Weekend.

10 Mom Tips to Survive and Enjoy Vans Warped Tour

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1.  Get there early (really early, like 3 hours early), watch bands plug their set and sell CDs, get free bags and stickers.  Take a small bottle of water for the wait.  We were lucky with the weather, but the sun is still beating down as you stand still in a line, ready to pass out due to dehydration at any minute.  My mini zip loc of raisins saved my lining up experience, not cool, but remember it is not my job to be cool, I’m the Mom! 2.  Make a note of who you want to see and which signings you need to attend.  Choose wisely as everything overlaps.  You can buy a schedule for $2 but we just made a note on a card I had in my bag.  Leave enough time to line up for a week and a half for signings (get there early if you can). 3.  Check out the local flora and fauna, boys in undies, everyone with ear plugs and gauges (it’s a thing) lots of coloured hair and …

Through The Lens Thursday 27. Mess.

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Through The Lens Thursday is a weekly challenge to get us to use our camera on manual setting and learn all about those pesky numbers and how to combine them to get a successful photo.  As you can tell, I am quite the professional already by my discussion on ‘the numbers’.  I am getting the hang of manual slowly but surely and I haven’t flicked back to ‘auto’ all year.  Yay! For today’s photo prompt ‘Mess’,  I had an idea to get the boys to shake their messy hair and I would magically capture the moment in freeze frame.  How on earth do I do that?  What numbers do I need?  To the interweb we go.  I read about freezing the moment and getting the blur and decided to try both. I didn’t want my models shaking their heads into dizzydom, so I snapped a few, changed settings and snapped a few more. Numbers for this one are 1/1000, f4.0, ISO800. The white wall was not the best location as it overpowers the photo I …

Weekly Photos 26/52 and Pink.

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        Last week was hot hot and more hot with a couple of storms thrown in.  I had one sick kid for a few days and we managed to Slip n Slide lots.  I dug up some of the garlic and it is looking good, there are some teeny tiny tomatoes growing too. 1.  Pink was the colour to find last week and I almost failed, managed to find a few though.  Part of the Color/Colour Lovers project hosted by Hula Seventy and Xanthe Berkeley. 2.  A rare, almost extinct pay phone.  I wonder if it even works? 3.  Slip n Slide in the sunlight. 4.  You didn’t think I would deprive you of a mushroom shot did you!? 5.  Itsy bitsy pine cones. I hope you had a great week last week and are looking forward to an even better one this week!  I am going to the ‘Vans Warped Tour’ concert on Wednesday with my teen….wish me luck. I will snap a few photos to share!

Six Word Saturday

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  I made scones today and added a handful of blackberries and a lemon’s worth of zest.  Got to eat them quick though, they will be dry by tomorrow.  Frothy coffee and a scone, perfect afternoon snack. Share your Six Word Saturday in the comments or on Instagram, #sixwordsaturday. Happy Weekend!  

A Cup of Tea with Me and a few of my Favourite Things.

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I am linking up with the rest of my class at Blog With Pip (want a blog course to blow your socks off?  This is the one,)  for a communal, over the interweb cup of tea and a chat.  The other links are here if you want to pop over and meet them all. The course has been a mixing bowl of new students and graduates of previous courses (I did the course in February too) and everyone brings their own talent to share.  Designers, writers, idea drivers, technical wizards, all in the same class and meeting up many many times a day to chat on Facebook in our own private group.  I have learnt so much from the class and my fellow students, much more than I thought I ever would considering the course is all online, based in beautiful Australia (students are world wide though) and I have never met any of them in person. I have made new friends, learnt new things and am striving for new goals.  Oh, and it is …

Through the Lens Thursday 26. Imperfect.

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  We are half way through the ‘Through the Lens Thursday’ project which means we are halfway through the year (yikes).  I am so pleased I have been keeping up and taking a photo with my DSLR on manual every week for 26 weeks.  In fact I haven’t switched back to auto all year, so I am a proud photo taker.  Thanks to Alison at Writing Wishing and Greta at GFunkified for keeping us all going. This week’s prompt was ‘Imperfect’ and I was racking my brains trying to think of something….my hair (going grey nicely, thanks for asking!), doughnuts for breakfast, video games, the burst slip ‘n’ slide in all of it’s duct tape glory….when we passed this wonky ‘stop’ sign and the decision was made. We dropped the shopping at home and I grabbed my camera and walked back (not far thankfully) and snapped the leaning sign.  I like the way the sign underneath it warns of angry cars, good to know. Are you doing any year long projects?  Is is worthwhile for …