What Did You get for Christmas?
So right now there is not much to report about Texas weather. Winter in Texas is a land stuck between seasons. Some days it's warm. Some days it's winter. Some days it can be both. Currently we have drought. I'm only going to get excited about rain...okay maybe snow too. Who am kidding, snow is really cool in Texas (if it's not on a work day.)
No weather or gardening, let's talk about Christmas presents! Whadja Get? Feel free to talk about favorite presents from Holidays past as well. Time spent with loved ones, your first favorite toy, the things that made you happy.
This year Christmas came early. Was going to ask Santa for a fancy camera. Have been researching them and became fascinated with micro four thirds cameras. I wanted a small camera with a big zoom that could take even better pics than my trusty point n shoot. For ergonomics and stellar reviews I had been reading a lot about the Panasonic GH2.
It was billed as an amazing camcorder that also took good pictures. Hey, two for one.
So a few weeks ago I woke up thinking about this camera. Decided to find out just how much one would cost. Looked it up on Amazon and to my surprise this camera, the GH2, was the "Amazon Deal of the Day"...while supplies last. Thought about it all day. Getting a fancy camera is like getting married. You are pretty much stuck with only getting accessories designed for that camera. This is especially true with the Micro Four Thirds. From now on, all my lenses will come from Panasonic. When this camera breaks I will have to buy the same brand again.
It was fate though. I woke up dreaming about it. Then found the camera was half price and included a lense. It also came with $100 off each additional lense. One day only. So bought the 100-300mm zoom as well.
My big surprise is that the whole "just like a point n shoot with better features" thing is not true. This cameras automatic settings suck wind. Almost sent it back. Started playing with the manual and program features. Now, this camera has potential. I just need to learn more about shooting manual, aperature and program. Have learned that using manual focus rocks the world. With manual focus I am getting shots I could not get before.
Birds in brush and twigs confuse auto focus but not manual. Booya!
Liking this camera now.
So this is my early Christmas present. Have a feeling after a few more months of classes and learning, the GH2 will be (to me atleast), the best camera ever.
So whats your best present?
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This is a shot I got using manual focus of a Junco deep in a tree.
Here's the black and white feature.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8247943844_e36 8c0b71e.jpg
And of course a Hawk on a powerline that I decided to decorate for Christmas compliments of Picmonkey.
So it seems I shall finally have to learn how to use the PS Elements, which I already have on the laptop.
I LOVE the photo of the birdie... brilliant manual focusing. The feathers are so crisp:)
On your camera, Mr. P was interested in that same one a couple of years ago. The images you posted are pretty sharp, I can tell the difference from your point and shoot and this one.
I tried to check out
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8247943844_e36 8c0b71e.jpg
but it said "this image is currently unavailable" in 8 different languages.
So how does one get to see that famous black-and-white feature?
I bought my Christmas present yesterday while at Target -- a new pair of slippers and 2 XXL men's T-shirts that I like to wear instead of nighties. The rest of my allowance was spent on thistle seed.
I still love PhotoScape best for editing: it's free and downloadable. With my slow internet speeds, I much prefer to do my editing on my computer and then upload the finished product.
My present this year is a new phone, a smartphone, finally. I got the Droid Razr M and mostly love it, so far. Had some trouble getting it to connect to my home wifi but, not surprisingly, that was "user error" and has been corrected. Yesterday I saw some remarkable yarn on sale for almost 50% off and ... no, I already have my present! LOL
Best present was my first camera - a Kodak 110 that I used to win a blue ribbon in b&w photography at the fair when I was 11. Oh, such promise! Where did I go wrong ... ? ;)
Last but not least, Roxie is the cutest doggie ever in her Christmas sweater! :)
Sandi, it was bound to happen. Really can't run a site like that for free. Wish they would come up with a downloadable version. I would pay $100 bucks to have home picmonkey. $60 a year is kind of steep.
Calpoppy, what a fun gift to be surprised with. Especially having it all set up. Anemometers are so fun.
Hi Beachfoxx, thanks. Film cameras had always been a bit outside my paygrade starting out. Love the digitals. However, A new baby at Christmas. Now thats a great gift.
Hi Briar, big t-shirts really are comfy. From the sounds of it you may have to start filling those with seed if you get anymore finches. Will have to take a look at Photoscape.
Hey Sp, a new smart phone equals hours of entertainment when you start loading the game apps. I bet there is a knitting app. Soooo, half price yarn could make a great stocking stuffer or even a stocking.
Miss Roxie Hollywood was born to be cute and a little show off.
OMG! RAIN RIGHT NOW...ooh and some hail. 8:35pm.
Here is the photo that didn't show up (I hope)
So with that in mind I went looking. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone, and see if I could find a photo editing app for the IPad, as I use that as much as I use the desktop. Bingo!
I found two, one free one that allows you to upload straight to Flickr. Which is perfect for me. it is a programme for simple tweaks, cropping, auto adjust etc, but has a wonderful range of effects and borders. The other app cost me £2.99 and is brilliant. It has all the edits I would ever need, including curves, cloning, rotating, sharpening etc, and hundreds of texts, with the option to add shadows. So I am now sorted!!
Thanks Santa! lol
**** didn't modify the previous comment because WU would change the £ to rubbish!
I have complained to the admin team....the $ sign never gets change after modification, only pound sterling! :-(
Come on. You ought to post it here, too, don't you think? I mean it's not a photo, but it's cute as all get-out.
Oh wait!!! I can do that myself! Can you believe I figured out how to do that without any help? I'm impressed with myself!
-------------------------
Quoting GG from SP's blog:
Happy End of The World Day!
Happy Start of a New World Day!
Let's Make it a Good One!
All we have to do is listen to the worlds music and dance
WOMEN RULE!! lol
The stuff I see at work, you can't make this stuff up, lolol! It's too long to explain, but I have a feeling you know what I mean! :)
I thought women already ruled....;-)
I certainly not gaing weight but Abbey is pretty square. I beleive she may have some Rotti genes in her mixed bloodline.
Have a good day while we find shelter from the wind.
We have snow. My offer is open again. For the price of a plane ticket I'll bring all I can stuff in a suitcase.
Enjoy the day.
My favorite gift so far this year, are the Christmas crackers that I received, to my great surprise, from my FL family! I can't wait to 'crack' them and see what they contain. I think that they will start a new tradition! I also am now a Spring Chicken, yes, I also received a jar of Spring Chicken cream! The jar says that it is for aches and pains but really it is to turn me into a spring children! Actually I am already ten years younger.
Happy Saturday to you.
Sandi, perhaps if this becomes the millenium of feminine spirit we will get it right this time.
Hi Ylee, oh yeah. I hear ya brother lol.
Hi Barefoot, thanks for the Christmas Wish. I have many fond memories of Christmas past.
Hi Plapman, would love to see the look on airport securitys face when they open a suitcase full of snow.
Hi Prose, "Spring Chicken Cream", sounds like good stuff.
The junco is lovely, too. I'm a sucker for bird pics.
Enjoy your new toy!
Most folks in the area have hunting breeds, working dogs, toys/miniatures (chihauhaus, poodles, etc) or just plain mutts.
Hi Bug, thanks. Yeah really having fun with the new toy :-D Actually there are a lot of people that don't have corgis that collect pictures and are big fans of the little puppy clowns.
Hi Prose, a very Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Wishing you and your family all the Best of the Season.
Thank you for your kind, and supportive words over the weekend. And thanks for the mail, too :-)
May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown
It seems always in the 11th hour I find meaning on Christmas Day.
Was not really into Christmas this year. Didn't decorate. Have to work blah blah.
Then came the phone call at work, a make shift conference call involving a landline a cellphone and my work phone. Couldn't hear much but I felt loved.
Even more I heard a story about one of the Choose Hope bracelets and how it helped someone choose to live. I got the gift of knowing that what I do matters.
Leaving work one of the security guards, a friend from when I work nights came in early and brought me a gift. With it came the gift of knowing while not everyone at work likes me, some people do.
This morning I awoke to thunder and no power. It was a wonderful booming rain storm. We so need the rain.
With the rain came prayers for the safety of others traveling today. When the power came on and it was time to get up the living room had a glow. Went to look and it seems a wonderful elf had strung lights, put up the tiny aluminum Christmas tree with a ring of gifts around it. Santa came!
Today I know that I'm blessed. I hope can remember this tomorrow and into the coming new year.
Peace from the blog porch-GG
Merry Christmas to you! There are gifts galore surrounding us. It's just that most of them aren't wrapped up and it can be a little harder to recognize them. It sounds as though you've been well gifted - enjoy the day!
Glad that power was restored to your home this am and that Santa left a bright calling card (via a few lit decorations). T'is the Season, jolly or not. This year, I'm also keeping a very low-key Christmas, sans decorations, but with gratitude that my hubby's still around to share a delicious holiday repast. Perhaps, as we age, we begin to reprioritize the true meaning of Christmas.
Obviously, what you do in or on your job is the gift that keeps on giving. May it be reciprocated much in the way of appreciation and formed solid friendships.
It rained, it snowed, it iced a bit here. Have to leave early for work so to drive slow on the ice.
Calpoppy, Sandi, Bug,Ylee, Shore, Mass, thank you for the Christmas cards and wishes.
Shore, that video is hilarious!!!
If I missed anyone, it's cause I'm tired and in a hurry. Have a great day all.
Pleas don't be in a hurry - as you said, a slow journey to work. Take care :-)
The printer I wanted, some scented body washes and soap, some knee socks (where Hubby found them, I have no idea; they don't seem very popular these days) and a watch.
And I got to watch A Christmas Story twice!
And I love #31 even more. Sounds to me like you've been moving through your days on autopilot. I'm so glad there was not one, but four (if I counted right) happy wake-up calls for you in a 24-hour period. Looks like maybe you took the loving reminders to heart. Now, if you can just not go back on autopilot.
A humble suggestion that may sound silly: Print out #31 and put it somewhere you look every day. Like on a corner of your bathroom mirror. Or on your fridge. You won't read the words every day, but just seeing that bit of paper and remembering what you felt at the time will be good enough to turn off the autopilot for at least a few minutes. I've done that. It works for me. Maybe it will for you, too.
We kept things simple this year in the family, it's been a tough on economically this year. We just gathered mainly just to enjoy each others company and dishes. I spent the last month going through old photo albums and pulled out all the holiday pics of Grandma days through current and put together holiday albums. It was a lot of fun to hear all the stories from relatives. Now I'll be spending the next month trying to put all the pictures back to the original places! Lol!
Hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday and may 2013 be joyous and kind to you :)
I've not tried that route but I do repeat a George Carlin quote: Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
Which works for me most of the time.
Now the kids; we mostly give them a check so they can go on a family vacation and build memories. We also give them some gift cards to places they actually go. The grandsons are easy, as they are first grandchildren. Legos were certainly hot for them this year. I refer to myself as the 'clothes' grandma. I buy clothes for them when I see good deals, and then hang onto them until Christmas. The boys aren't too thrilled with the clothes, with the exception of the Angry Bird pajamas I got them this year, but their mom likes the clothes! We also contribute to their college funds. My grandparents did that for my kids, and while the money we had didn't pay for their whole education, we all (I went through college while my girls did) graduated with no debt. That's hard to do these days! Textbooks alone can put someone in debt!
Our weather sounds similar to yours. It's 63º and sunny out now, although we have a good breeze that is making it feel colder, but tomorrow we might not see 60!!! A few days earlier this week we had lows of 41º, but with the cloud cover, it'll stay in the mid-50s. We'll never see snow or ice here, but my daughter is taking her family up to the mountains for 2 nights this weekend. They'll see plenty!
How on earth can this not absolutely make your day? You actually saved a life. You did. YOU! That's some pretty powerful stuff there girl. Don't take it lightly! It's pretty heady stuff. Not many folks can say that.
Have you ever watched It's a Wonderful Life? It's one of my most favorite movies. I'm sure you've seen it, but if you haven't, please watch it. I'm sure everyone, at one time or another, feels that they aren't making that much of an impact. But in that story, you learn how the smallest of things can have a HUGE ripple effect. That life that you saved might move on to do the same for someone else. And so it goes.......paying it forward.......
The most strange item was another Portmerion holly range cake plate from my friend. Trouble was, she bought me exactly the same a few years ago, so I am going to take it back and exchange it for something else in the same range, with her blessing. Yes, I did tell her...I thought it best to do that, just in case she forgets what she bought me and buys me another one next year! lol
Re. 31 & 42, what a wonderful "Wonderful Life" story! What a wonderful gift for the recipient and you!
I got a radio controlled helicopter that is lots of fun. The instruction manual written in poorly translated "engrish" is as much fun as the 'copter.
Hi Sandi, guess your not going to encourage a tradition of getting Portmerion holly range cake plates for Christmas every year. Probably for the best. While they look quite pretty (googled one), I suppose having multiple cakes around the house in order to use them could be a bit much.
Hi Bug, a good printer is a wonderful thing but knee socks even better. Definitely a must have in the winter when wearing boots. What's with all the anklets? They march straight to the front of the boot and wad up around the toes.
Hi Briar, I make smiley faces in the bathroom mirrors and happy things, messages to the spouse when they fog up from the shower. They show up again the next time. Guess that's kind of subliminal but yes, posting inspiration is good way to start the day positively.
Hi Karen, it's a great feeling to have all the "stuff" that you want. Makes it a whole lot easier to concentrate on the people who matter in your life. Although I would not turn down a full size $$$ "Attack From Mars" pinball machine ;)
The movie It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart is my favorite all time Christmas movie. I think we all go through wondering if being here really made a difference in the world once in a while. It's nice when the universe responds with the answer; Yes.
Dragonfly, putting together photo albums of years past is a great thing to do at Christmas (or any other reunion) Stuff breaks. Gets thrown away. But sometimes memories can be lost forever too. That is an awesome way to keep them fresh and alive.
Hi Tony, good morning and Merry Christmas to you all on the Prairie!
Hi LC, It seems to be a common theme in WUville this year that the gifts are time spent. Makes me think of a song we used to sing in the car growing up. "Well we ain't got a barrel of money. Maybe were ragged and funny, but we travel along singing our song, side by side." Granted we can't eat happiness or love, but we can't eat fancy cars either. We can however starve on the inside and that is a slow walking death.
Today let's enjoy the people we enjoy be it online, at home or far away.
There are all kinds of gifts in the world, some are called blessings.
Peace from the blog porch.
I saw the post you did of the instructions (in Briar's blog I think). They were hilarious. I remember some instructions I got with a new kettle. The funny thing was it actually said.... 'Not used with water'. I thought that's what a kettle was supposed to do! I think it meant 'Do not immerse in water'.
Happy Saturday... Anything exciting planned for today? Flying a helicopter by any chance!
Here are the two web pages I used for the info
Link one
Link two
I found something that I thought you might like, gg, if only to look at:
Fairy slippers. They come from Lithuania so they must be accurate, right? I don't know why I think that.
Husband got one one~ written on each blade..
WARNING! if blade damage.don't be fly.otherwise it will create the human body or blame damage.
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