Merry Kissmas

Butterflies & Dragonflies

Oh to be in the heat of August and to see butterflies and dragonflies again...

(Bloomington Country Club - August 2010)


(Bloomington Country Club - August 2011)

I'll miss seeing all of those butterflies and dragonflies at BCC next year... But hopefully I'll see some at my residential customers in 2012.

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Open The Door

Honeysuckle Vine ~ Psalm 40:5

Black-Capped Chickadee... And Happy Memories

If there is one bird that I can say is my favorite "childhood bird," it would have to be the black-capped chickadee... It always brings back so many memories of the house I grew up in on Harlem Avenue in Monmouth, Illinois.

We always had a bird feeder outside a large window by our family room, and more along the woods that lined our backyard. I remember watching many gold finches, cardinals, sparrows of all types... But my favorite to see was always the chickadees.

I love happy memories... It's amazing how a photo, new or old, can always bring back those happy memories.

That is why I'm a photographer... To help others, and myself, hold on to happy memories.

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Welcome to the New Normal

Laurie Visits Teletubbie Land

Mike's Dream Video (and a very good sermon at the end)

This pretty much sums up why Laurie and I love our church so much...

A Daughter...

Birthday Celebration In The Park

Day two of Andrew and Savannah's 11th and 9th birthday celebration took place at Miller Park in Bloomington. Both sets of grandparents came from the east and from the west to help celebrate the many many blessings we've received over the past eleven years.

School's In Session

Andrew and Savannah were off to school this past week to start their 2011/2012 school year.

Andrew entered the world of Junior High... He now attends Bloomington Junior High School where he's in the 6th grade. Yes... P.E. every day with gym clothes, hallway lockers with combinations, some classroom changing throughout each day, pre-algebra, weekend homework, and spending a little more time in front of the mirror with his hair (yep, he's doing that already). On Friday, the first full day of school, Andrew grabbed his backpack and took off hiking towards BJHS at 7:30 a.m. ~ this was his first time to ever walk to school, and he did it as if he'd been doing it for 6 years. Yeah... Our little Birdie is growing up :-)

Savannah is now in the 4th grade at Bent Elementary School... she has already said her teacher (who is new to Bent this year) is the best teacher she's ever had. Of course, she also received candy the first day of school from her. :-)

We think it's going to be a wonderful year for Andrew and Savannah... We pray for them daily and know they're in God's care.

An Art-filled Birthday Party

It's party night at the Sexton house... Celebrating Andrew (born 8-20-2000) and Savannah's (born 8-19-2002) birthdays. They each invited one friend for a sleepover...

After some Dominos Pizza we headed off to Artful Designs to be a little creative... We had SO MUCH FUN painting our pottery



































After doing our pottery we headed to Grady's so the kids could take their baths by using the bumper boats...



Then it was time to return home so Savannah could open her presents (Andrew will open his in the morning) and to enjoy some YUMMY chocolate cupcakes by Sugar Mama Cakes ~ Our absolute favorite local cake baker :-)

And now Laurie and I are tucked away in bed listening to giggles, Beyblades battles, Harry Potter movie scenes, Barbie playing, footsteps up and down stairs... All beautiful sounds of children having fun :-)

It's a good night in the Sexton house... And we're looking forward to another fun day tomorrow as the birthday celebrating continues.

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Psalm 66:1-4

Coffee Or Margaritas With Breakast?

Here's a texting conversation i had with a nephew this morning (I'm staying a couple nights at his apt in Indianapolis while I attend a photography conference):

Me: You really need a coffee maker

Him: Haha. Right! It would sit there since I dont drink it!

Me: You really should start drinking adult drinks

Him: What do you mean!? I already had 2 margaritas today!

Yes... I've already called AA for him and set up a family meeting to confront his issues :-)

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Sizzlin' Summer Simple Sessions

It's the perfect time to get end-of-summer pictures... families, couples, children, grandparents with grandchildren, teen friends... Let me help you remember your 2011 summer with a simple session during the month of August.

A "simple session" lasts no more than 30-45 minutes... Quick and painless (especially for kids).

All you have to do is call or email me with a first, second, and third choice date/time for a Wednesday or Saturday in August... I'll call back to confirm one of your dates/times with information on a location. An email will follow giving your date/time/location confirmation for your session. Dress should be “summery” and very casual... And only an attitude of FUN will be allowed :-)

Here are the details:
* Up to 20 image proofs
* Proofs available for online review within 3-days
* One favorite image professionally printed in the following quantities and sizes:
- one 8x10
- two 5x7's
- eight wallets
(Additional prints of the "favorite" image and all other images are available for purchase at regular print prices)
* Cost for the session and prints is only $125 (due at the time of phone confirmation by credit card; receipt emailed immediately after transaction)
* Prints will be delivered no later than ten days after the order has been completed

Keep Local News Local (the fight continues)

Vowing to fight back, newsroom employees at WEEK-TV Channel 25 and WHOI-TV Channel 19 led a protest rally Friday attended by some 50 people on United Auto Workers Local 974 property, 3025 Springfield Road in East Peoria.

"We're filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board," said Garry Moore, WEEK newsman and president of the Peoria Local of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, on the day before a contract is imposed on AFTRA members.

"We're hoping that the NLRB will send both sides back to the bargaining table," he said.

Negotiations broke down earlier this year between AFTRA and Granite Broadcasting, the New York-based firm that owns WEEK and manages WHOI. AFTRA voted down a contract offer in April, citing language that would allow for the outsourcing of news and weather broadcasts.

Moore added that AFTRA hopes to meet with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to enlist his help in getting Granite back to the bargaining table.

Speakers at the rally included Mike Everett, president of the West Central Illinois Building Trades Council; state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria; and Mike Matejka, a member of the Bloomington City Council.

While AFTRA Vice President Josh Simon outlined a Twitter campaign that supporters can join through the AFTRA Facebook page, Moore said there were "other cards" that AFTRA members could play but were "holding back on" pending action by station management.

"We might be forced to ask station advertisers to pull advertising, and there's the possibility of a strike or walkout. The company might lock us out. Hopefully, we won't have to resort to either of these things," said Moore.

[story by Steve Tarter of Peoria Journal Star
http://m.pjstar.com/jstar/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=mOh2lU4P&full=true#display

Gardening ~ Predictably Unpredictable

When you try a new flower that hasn't been on the market very long, you never know in one, three, or five years what might happen to it. They can be very unpredictable at times since the creators usually try to rush them out to retailers as the "next best flower" ... Only to find out through feedback that, due to playing with the DNA of the plant, the flower reverts back to it's original color (some summer phlox have done this) or blooms into a strange mutated ugly color (orange cone flower did this), or becomes less hardy in colder zones (red potentilla is known for this).

A year ago I seeded a tray of Rudbeckia 'cherry brandy' in the greenhouse... I had heard of it, but hadn't seen it available for purchase at garden centers. It had a rough go of it in my gardens the first year, growing shorter than expected and very sparse in blooms. Then, after talking to a couple garden center employees, I found out it was probably "iffy" on whether it would come back or not.

So, needless to say, I really wasn't expecting the plants to come back this year. But... Sure enough, four of the six plants I had at my own house survived and have done very well this year.

However... Each of the four, even though they came from the same seed pack 18 months ago, looks different from each other.

• one plant is a deep deep red with a very broad flower head and tall middle
• another plant is the same deep deep red but the pedals are less rounded at the ends and the center isn't as large
• the third has some yellow on the outer half of the pedals and are smaller flower heads.
• the fourth has a definite two color look with deep deep red on the inside of the pedals and yellow/gold on the outer half (see below)

I'm pretty sure the deep deep red is what they're suppose to look like (hense the name 'cherry brandy'), but if (and I'm assuming this is the case) the flower was developed from Rudbeckia 'black-eyed susan' - guess where the yellow comes from.

Unpredictable... What made some revert halfway and others not at all? What will happen next year?

Gardening as a whole is predictably unpredictable... But, add man's desire to play with the DNA of plants and you never know what you might get.

However... I'm not complaining... This is how we learn about the life of plants. And... maybe us gardeners thrive on this challenge of "predictably unpredictable."

Hmmmmmmmm... Maybe that's why I left banking management a few years ago, too. Interesting what you begin to learn about yourself if you start thinking about things too deeply.

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Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' ~ Colossians 1:16

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Hope ~ Psalm 62:5

A Snake Encounter

I've had my gardening business since 2002 and have never had an encounter with a snake... Until a couple weeks ago.


Needless to say, I was freaked and kept hearing, seeing, and sensing snakes the rest of the day... Even though I had chased the one into a hole and blocked it in.

Yes, I did refrain from screaming like a 13 year old girl, but only because when I originally saw the snake it was in the garage having a stare-down with one of my customer's cats (which was absolutely hilarious). And I have to admit, it was fun chasing the crazy thing around the beds with my hoe in hand... But got a little nervous when he/she wrapped itself around the end and I had to swing it around in the air to shake it loose (I'm sure this was all very entertaining for a neighbor out mowing his lawn).

I've had a couple more visits to the customer's house since that slithery day, but no more encounters ( Thank God!!!).

And then this morning I receive a text from the customer:

•One less snake on Sterling Road thanks to my John Deere

•Gotta go change my pants tho. Bet neighbor heard me scream like a girl

•I was against the brick wall at edge of pool and it tried to jump up on the mower deck before it got sucked in and chopped up

My response...

At least you know what you can have for supper now

I just hope that's the end of my snake tale...

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Iris In Rain

Good-Bye My Irises, Until 2012

It's sad to see my irises go... already done for another year. May 2012 won't come soon enough for me.

I'm still hopeful for what looks like a water iris to bloom, which I'm sure I'll have an image or two to share if I do. But, until then I'll enjoy the final couple days of my spuria iris 'orientalis' in bloom...

Andrew's Final Exit

It seems just like yesterday we were walking Andrew into his kindergarten room at Bent Elementary School for the very first time and meeting Mrs. Wadkins. From that first "hello" we knew we had made the right choice in having Andrew attend a public school rather than a private school.

What an amazing experience Andrew had during his six years at Bent Elementary School... Thank you Mrs. Wadkins (K), Mrs. Young (1st), Mrs. Matlock (2nd), Mr. Bussan (3rd), Mrs. Matlock (4th), and Mrs. Cooper (5th) for giving Andrew a wonderful education and what we're certain will be a firm foundation for his career at BJHS, BHS, and beyond. You each gave him essential tools for learning, but you also gave him a love for learning... And for that we especially want to say Thank You.

Siberian Iris 'Pink Haze'

I planted this iris in either 2004 or 2005... I never knew the name of it until this year. SO glad I know now so I can look for more for customers.

Irises are blooming very nicely this year, but the rain and wind can really do some damage to the bloom in a hurry.

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Saturday Mornings

I LOVE Saturday mornings!!!

My favorite place on Saturday mornings is sitting on my front porch with a cup of coffee... Listening to the birds, catching scents from my flowers, watching bumble bees visit all the blooms, seeing which new flowers have revealed themselves to the world today.

Yes... Saturday's... 7-11 a.m.

It's also a time of reflection from my week... Revisiting briefly my ups, my downs, my victories, my failures, my challenges, my frustrations, my interactions... It's kind of like a time of cleansing for me.

Everyone needs time each week like this... And I can definitely tell a difference when I don't have my "porch time" ~ And what's really awesome is that I can have a "bonus porch time" on Monday since it's a 3-day weekend :-)

To wrap up my "porch time" this morning... Here's a picture of one of my poppies that bloomed this morning... Raised from seed last year in the greenhouse and happily blooming this year...



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Paeonia 'Hoki'

This is a tree peony from our backyard... I purchased it early in the gardening season last year and then forgot about it amongst all of the other plants I keep at our house during the summer. I about cried when I saw it sitting there in the middle of some dead & dying annuals in September, especially since I paid about $40 for it, when it was all the size of a 6-inch stick with maybe three leaves. I quickly found a place for it and prayed over it for 7-days straight (ok, not really).

I was pleasantly surprised to see it produce a beautiful flower this spring and LOTS of leaf growth. 

But, most importantly... my wife loved it :-)

Papaver Orientale ~ Oriental Poppy

I've always loved to see oriental red poppies (papaver orientale) but have never had them in my gardens. Last year I seeded several in the greenhouse and planted most of them at a customer's house, but kept a few of the plants for myself. I've been thrilled to see them develop into a few nice plants this year and can't wait to see them bloom. Here's a shot of one of the buds reaching out from between what appears to be thistly leaves...

Recent iPhoneography Captures

I know the camera on the iPhone is far from perfect and has limited ability to be used for "professional photography" ... but ... I'm totally amazed sometimes by what I can capture and edit just by using my iPhone. Here are a few recent examples of what is now being called iPhoneography...

Iris With Some Texture

This was actually a two year old image I ran into tonight while working at Harvest Bookstore at Eastview... But had some quick fun with it and turned it into something more interesting than it was originally. 

Lilacs Backlit by Sun