Macro Monday.

Wow....there has been a lot going on since I last posted!!!! 

I have been seriously busy with a ton of things, Thanksgiving, a new phone,

the Christmas Parade, and Chic fil A not having a wi fi hot spot! I thought

they all had hot spots... apparently not in rural South GA!!!! 

First, lets get to the matter in hand, it's Macro Monday and I snapped

this little beauty this weekend while fishing off a beautiful beach in 

South Florida... I lead a glamorous life! hee hee...no really I do.

isn't he gorgeous!!! in a weird crabby kinda way!!! 

and this guy... not a macro but I have been playing around with 

PS Elements 9 and having so much fun! Who knew? 

I feel like I'm back in kindergarten and being given a paint pot and

a big piece of paper, the teacher telling me to go ahead, do what

ever comes to mind. There is a picture of me as a little girl

(one of the few) and I'm happy as can be painting a big picture of 

a face, my own face screwed up in the sunlight of the conservatory

and my hair all a big mess. I think one day when I'm grown up I'll 

have some kind of a studio in a loft apartment and just paint and

take pictures and create stuff all day!!! 

anyhoodles... in other news... I got a Droid for Christmas from my 

gorgeous hubby and it's replaced him as the love of my life! 

ain't that ironic???

Well maybe it hasn't exactly replaced him but it has taken up a huge

amount of my curiosity and therefore time and therefore leaving

his gorgeousness out in the cold a teeny bit. I highly 

recommend the Droid to anyone and everyone who loves to 

tweet, FB and other such nonsense!!! 

You may want to just double check the state of your Union first

and make sure it's stable enough to handle it... or buy one

for each of you!!! Hub's will be arriving shortly I'm sure.

Well there you have it... go back and check out the other Macro's please

and see y'all back here soon!!!! Mwuuaahhhh!!

It always comes back to Snakes... and spiders...

One of my aims with my photography is to capture things that 

the average peep doesn't see every day. 

and I think I got it here.... 

 I truly don't like snakes... however... I think for some reason when 

my camera is in front of my face I'm just fine!!! The processing is 

thanks to the tips I have learned lately from Kim's class. 

And look at this little madam... she's quite at home with

her friend there!! yes it's real and no I didn't want to handle it. 

Leave the scary stuff to the kids..I say!! 

Soooo... been rather busy here lately which explains the lack of posting.

Hope to rectify that in the coming weeks, this is one of my favorite

times of year for blogging. I love to read everyone's accounts of 

family nightmares, see their lovely pictures and recount my own feelings, 

at this, the most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow US Citizens!!! 

hee hee feels kinda weird saying that. 

Voilaaaaa!!!!

practice blending copy, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks???? This old rover is learning something new every day thanks to the wonderfullality of Kim Klassen.

If you are the least bit intimidated by Photoshop and think you will never be able to master that unruly little tinker I'm here to tell you "yes you can!" and it's as easy as signing up for the next Skinny-Mini E-course she is running starting on Dec 6th. "but the holidays" I hear you whine..... I don't wanna hear it. I have been busier than a busy thing on a busy day lately and I have managed to fit it in.

Super duper easy to follow instructions on video and you can go back and replay when you need to however many times you need to.... and you can even get the 30 day free trial of Elements 9 to see if this is indeed your cuppa char.

I will not be the same evah evah again.... I loved this picture when I took it and then just made it black and white using a rinky dink little application...now I have given it layers... yeah... layers!!!

So.... if you don't want to actually do anything but you do appreciate the fine work of a genius head on over to see Kim anyway.. just click the button on my sidebar.

I'm pumped.... and want to share the pumpedness!!!!!! Hugs y'all.

Corner View... anything goes!

This weeks corner view theme is anything goes... therefore it leads me to believe I can do whatever the heck I want!!! Yay... a free reign... just what us McGilli's love is a free reign.  Sooo.. my little corner view this week in this "anything goes" session is "flight".  For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a pilot, I dreamed of joining the Navy at a young age and wanted desperately to fly Harriers. I loved the way they "jumped" into the air and didn't need a whole lot of room to take off and land. I would go to Navy Days every summer at the Naval Base we lived close to in Rosyth Scotland and would eagerly await the display of the Harriers, they seemed to appear from the water and up over the piers and scare the living daylights outta ya.

When I was about 13 or 14 I wrote a letter to the Navy (was it addressed to THE ROYAL NAVY??) and asked if I could be the first woman to fly Harriers.  They replied and I wish that I had kept that letter, I was very proud to have received a letter back from THE ROYAL NAVY, even if it was a Dear John. They told me that public opinion was not in favor of sending females into War situations and that there would probably never be a woman fighter jet pilot in the ROYAL NAVY... however, there were lots of other careers I could pursue in the WRNS. (Womens Royal Naval Service). I did eventually talk to a recruiter about becoming a commissioned officer shortly before I graduated High School, all I had to do was keep up my good grades, pass my A-levels and Bob's your uncle I was in. I passed, however, then I changed my mind.... alas... if I knew then what I know now!!! whatever... no regrets!!!!

Anyhoodles... I went on to marry a man who is also in love with all things flying and had a career working with airplanes after his stint in the US Navy... match made in heaven n'est pas? We are plane geeks... and don't apologize for it. Not when you can go to an air show and see these magnificent machines ruling the skies at 400 mph!!!! The noise, the smell the exhilaration.... love, love, love it!!!! Our dream is to make it to a Red Bull Air Race one of these fine days.... who knows?

So... check it out... pictures from the Blue Angels Homecoming Show this past weekend at NAS Pensacola. We all had a great day and seem to be passing the love of aviation to our girls who can't wait for next year's air show circuit. You could say it's in their blood 'cos their Papa was jumping out of planes long before they were born!!!!

and that my friends is this weeks Corner View.... for other peeks at life across the globe check out the links to the right!! See you next week!!!!!

Cashews and B-3

Ridiculously busy week ahead of me... too many commitments to 

mention and too many kids activities topping it off.

Don't know which way is up or my ass from my

elbow.... the key is FOCUS. 

Did you know that a couple of handfuls of cashews is as effective

as a Prozac??? Guess who'll be popping cashews this week?

Also... Niacin... or vitamin B-3 is the miracle supplement.. it 

will aid in depression and also helps burn your food creating 

ENERGY... so guess who'll be poppin' B-3 like it's going out of style?

Yep, I'll be happier than a crack smokin' skinny bitch and the

upside is that I'll remember the whole whirlwind week.

To top it off, His Gorgeousness is MIA this week. Thanks

Corporate America!!! It's probably a good thing 'cos I don't 

need all his goofy gorgeousness infiltrating my thoughts!!! 

I need to FOCUS!!!! 

Mid Life Mama signing off... see you tomorrow for Corner View. 

(yes, it's nuts that I can still post whilst so hyper busy!!!).

Macro Monday

Pomegranates are a little memory from my childhood... 

I decided to buy one today and show it to my kids, I love to share

memories from childhood with them. 

They didn't like pomegranates! 

Oh well. 

Go check out Lisa's Chaos for more macros... she has to cutest flip flop today!!! 

The solution to sore feet.....why expensive shoes of course!!!!!

So, if you’re me and you have a great Mother in Law then you can have conversations like the following….

Me: I am so fat and lazy I can’t stand myself. I need to eat less and move more, seriously I’m a moose.

M-I-L; I know… I’m gaining weight too and my feet hurt a lot lately, Mikey (my F-I-L) told me my feet hurt cos I’m fat.

Me: OMG no he didn’t, Hahahah I never thought about it but my feet hurt too… and no wonder carrying all that weight around.

M-I-L: I just buy more expensive shoes so they don’t hurt….

Me: ME TOO!!!!!!  I thought that was just my own little theory that $100 shoes don’t hurt as bad as bargain basement shoes…. You do it too??? How hilarious.

We both crack up!!!!!!

Busted, my theory is obviously crap, maybe if I lost a few pounds the shoes wouldn’t be straining under the sheer pressure of a moose walking around on them all day and I could spend less on shoes and more on … well…. Shoes!!! Hahahahahaaa. Imagine, I could get three pairs for the price of one pair of fatty arbuckles. I have to admit though the last pair of nice shoes I bought hurt my feet more than anything I have ever in my entire life worn and I have worn some hurtful shoes, believe me. I don’t know what to do because I wore them for an entire day at work and even threw my hip out because I was walking like a total gnarly witch all day, I can’t return them now… can I??? or can I??? have you ever returned shoes after wearing them, like, all day? Or should I just take them to the local cobbler and have him stretch them? Yes, we have a local cobbler in this quaint wee town, but he’s not called a cobbler ‘cos this is S. Georgia in the twenties, yo!

I do possess one pair of particularly delectable shoes which I can’t wear to work because they’re for night crawling… you know…. Out in the evening with your posse just cruising and chillin’ and lookin’ all cool and shit.  Or not, I am after all over forty and the mother of two girls with a couple of Shih Tzu’s that treat me like I’m a God. How can I be a chic fashionista cruising’ the bars with fantastic shoes on???? Truth is.. that’s just a fantasy left over from my youth and too many episodes of Real Housewives. The shoes I’m referring too are pretty incredible but I have only worn them once… urggghhh a complete waste of gorgeousness all huddled in the bottom of my closet waiting for that special occasion, that people who are not me, have every other week. The best thing about said beauties is that they make me into a 5’9” moose which is  way better than a 5’4” moose by anyone’s standards.

Anyhoodles, I am now contemplating the purchase of some more shoes for this season, they’re gonna have to be man enough to get me through the fall, the problem is it’s still freakin’ hot here. You can’t wear the kind of shoes that will get you thru the fall when temps are ranging from 45 to 85 degrees in one damn day. It’s just too hard. Which is why my solution is to have more than one pair about my person at any given time. I have resolved to keep a spare pair in the car, in my desk at work and in my oversized handbag. There…. All bases covered, thank you and good night!!!!

Corner View... Autumn

I am sooo happy it's Autumn this week on Corner View. 

I have been able to get out and take some pictures in this glorious weather

we've been having here in South GA. 

Our corner of the world is so beautiful at this time of year, October 

is usually so hospitable with bright skies and mild temperatures.

The mist in the morning is a fantastic sight and it warms

up to sunny afternoons... Yum!!!! 

for other Corner Views click the link to the right and be sure to visit
Theresa at All of Us... 

Macro Monday and Skinny-Mini Ecourse.

First Macro Monday....squeezing it in at the last minute for those on the East Coast!!!! 

I snapped this at the weekend growing all over an abandoned little shed/house thing, you know

 you see them all over the South, wooden shacks just there with pretty flowers

 growing all over them. Love it!!! 

And also I'm taking part in Skinny-Mini Ecourse on Photoshop Elements 9.

Too excited!!!!! 

I have been fumbling around editing software forever and now I'm truly learning

something... hip hip hooray!!! 

This is my first creation... you'll be seeing this all over the web as there are about

500 people signed up for this class... thank you Kim, you're awesome!!! 

So... i'm gonna be really busy with all this stuff going on but really happy!! 

Why don't you visit the links to the sites and get creative!!! 

Happy Monday Y'all.

Mwwuuaahhhh

You are what you eat!!!!!

Remember a few months ago I hopped on my soapbaox blogged about watching Food Inc. and I talked about going organic and eating food that hasn't been bleached, mangled and filled with horrible toxins??? Well I'm at it again.

I will say this, I haven't been the best at keeping to my resolution of not eating total crap, although I have tried to be more aware and spend my food dollars more wisely on, well, actual food. It's not easy.... really... it's not!!!!

My vows have once again been renewed following an interesting documentary I stumbled upon on Netflix, it's called Foodmatters and I recommend it to ANYONE WHO IS ALIVE and THOSE WANTING TO REMAIN ALIVE FOR A FAIRLY LONG TIME!!!!!!!  say about the same as an average life span of a healthy human being. I have come away with two points to ponder and we all know how I would much rather ponder a topic than actually ACT upon it. Firstly, we as a family don't pay nearly enough attention to what is actually good for us and what we need to nourish our bodies as appose to stuff we like to have that make the hunger go away or instantly satisfy our cravings for junk. Secondly, we never stop to think that vitamins and nutrients are like the before to the pharmaceutical industry's pill form after.....meaning that if we can prevent illness by popping a few vitamins then we won't need to pop a few hideously over priced chemicals that will not ever cure us in the long run.

Lets see..... the word nourishment... what does it actually mean.... food, or the valuable substances in food that a person, animal, or plant requires to live, grow, or remain fit and healthy.... the definition found on Encarta. 


So, how often do we actually think to ourselves we're going to fix dinner and nourish our bodies?? I never do, I think what the hell can I give these starving heathens that they will actually eat and stay off my back!!!!!! What can I grab quickly from the grocery store and heat up to keep them from opening the fridge and the pantry all the while whining.. "can I have a ssssnnnnaaaccckkkk???".  


It's even easier than I thought... it's back to basics... it's life as the foragers knew it. Nuts, berries and greens. There is no complicated recipe or three week starter phase, you don't have to deny yourself anything other than the total shit that is processed and mass produced until it actually has no nutritional value whatsoever. If you look on a box of cereal these days I don't think there is even anything on there that remotely resembles actual cereal... the actual honest to goodness whole grains and right out of the ground plant that is a cereal. Why count the fifty or so ingredients that you have no idea how to even pronounce when you can have an apple, a carrot, a broccoli floret... no additives, no preservatives just honest to goodness food. I'm not saying we all need to be vegetarians or vegans but going back to basics and having some cut veggies and some blueberries or nuts hanging around for the kids to munch on can't be all bad. I'm taking the plunge, AGAIN, to try and really think about what my family consumes and what it is that they need to be healthy happy human beings.

I hope that at lease one person reading will investigate FoodMatters and watch it and learn something!!!! If you're in the lease inquisitive as to how you may be able to prolong your life and avoid things like Heart disease and stroke you may want to give it an hour or so of your time.... it will change your life!!!!

Dismounts soap box and walks away happy with her little Public Service Announcement!!!

Fall is definitely here.....

So.... I love the effect it has when I set my ISO to Hi1.... I know it's a little fuzzy looking but I really like it... the kids were outside tonight raking leaves (without even being asked!!) and I couldn't resist playing with the camera and the light.  This was an impromptu little session just me clicking away and them hamming it up... the best moments to catch.... they'll be grown before we know it. I think the ridiculously high ISO lends itself to the fall mood.

 (oops, cut off her feet, don't tell my teacher!!)

It's finally turned cold again here and it's quite refreshing... today is Bonfire Night or Guy Fawks night in England and I'm missing it... have been thinking about it all week!!! Oh well, maybe I can persuade his gorgeousness into a little fire pit out back and we can roast marshmallows, it's certainly perfect conditions for a little fire and marshmallow roasting!!!! Hope y'all have a good weekend... toodles...

Corner View... Famous.

Go see Theresa and link up with all the other cool kids if you want to play along with Corner View......

This weeks theme is Famous... I had a lot of thoughts floating around about how to tackle this theme... as I'm just getting back into Corner View I wanted to make my posts count in order to make up for the previous lack of effort on my part.

I thought about famous people, I have already posted my prized signed picture of John Travolta so I didn't want to duplicate that although I have gained a lot of readers since that time... but I'll spare you that one. Then I thought about posting a picture of my sister with Johnny Depp but she refuses to pony up the picture so we'll have to wait for that one.

Instead I have decided to share this with you.... our little town of Thomasville is home to Flowers Foods, one of the biggest bakers in the United States, if you live in the States then I'm sure at some point you have eaten bread or cakes from this company. Here is a commercial that they made and aired in the Super Bowl... (sorry can't remember the year).  These are high school bands from right here in my home town, the blue and gold are the band of the High School my kids will attend... GO JACKETS!!!!!! and that my friends is my little Corner View of Famous!!!!

Nature's Own Dueling Bands Commercial @ Yahoo! Video

Now.... go and check out the other players and see what they are up to!!!!

Macro Monday.

Ohhhh this is awesome. I have found a new obsession... well not exactly a NEW obsession but a new channel for one of my ongoing obsessions. Go check out Lisa's Chaos and join in her Macro Monday. I think I had seen it before but was denying myself the indulgence. Well... deny no more. I love macros and I'm proud to say it. This is one I took at the weekend, not my favorite but I feel it has to be at least recent to take part properly. The girls were making cupcakes with Nanny and so I snapped a few pictures to record the moment, I adore the color of the icing on the cupcakes. I have cropped this but other than that it's right out of camera so no fancy footwork with the lighting or colors.

Thanks Lisa, wish I had joined in earlier, have been such a slacker lately but this is a whole new inspiration for me, just what I needed!!!!!!

p.s. I'm cleaning out my blog roll, I have been noticing a lot of peeps dropping out of the blogosphere which is sad but on the bright side it makes room for me to follow some new blogs and gain more inspriration. I love blogging, there's always something new around the corner so this is an opportunity for a bit of a clean up!!!