My very fabulous camera

Well, since I had 5 people email me since yesterday's post, wondering what kind of camera I have, I thought I share a bit more about it. 

I have the Canon SX40 HS, my first Canon ever. A friend had the same camera, so I was able to check it out a bit before purchasing. The fact that I could zoom right into her neighbor's living room had me sold (don't worry, I didn't see anything naughty). I bought mine at Beach Camera. Great service, great prices. I bought a bundle pack & got tons of extras, for not much more than the camera. I don't see that available anymore, but maybe that's because they now have the SX50 - & perhaps they are offering that bundle for that camera?

If you are looking for an SLR, this is not that camera. You can't change the lens. Which is a bonus for me, because it's taken me this long to even look at the manual, can you imagine me trying to learn all about lenses too? But this is quite a step up from a regular Point & Shoot - & as I said before it takes amazing pictures on Auto. Here are a few (sorry, I may have posted these before):

This was the very first picture I took the minute the battery was charged. I was really anxious to test the zoom. My last camera had hardly any zoom. This dove was wayyyy high up in a tree. 

I took a LOT of sunflower pictures, but this one is my favorite. It's playing peek-a-boo :)

I have a lot of pictures similar to this one. Remember how hot it was last summer? These birds were PANTING - I felt terrible for them :(  This was taken through my patio door - I could never do that with my old camera. 

I had no idea what I was getting when I took this one. The lighting was just right. When I posted it on Facebook, everyone said I should frame it. I might just do that! (BTW, this is a moss rose, one of my all time favorites that I plant every year). 

And last but not least, the moon shot. They say the zoom on this camera is equal to a 800 mm lens. Not sure, because I don't "do" lenses - but I think this is a pretty amazing shot with a non-SLR camera. 

I am very anxious for the snow to go away - I've taken all the snow pictures I can handle. Last summer was so hot & brown & dry, that I can't wait to take some pictures of some COLOR. 
If you have any questions about the camera, don't hesitate to email me! I think the world of this camera & would love to tell you all the great things about it! 

Is it spring YET?

I know the calendar says it is -- but my yard full of snow says otherwise! 

So how are you, my friends? I know - I said I was still going to keep posting even though I'm not all crafty-like anymore. Time just whizzes by, though. It's Monday, then it's Friday. Then it's Monday again. Where are the days in between? Work .... 4H .... guitar lessons .... errands & cleaning & laundry .... track season just started .... then comes baseball .... I definitely can't complain about being bored! 

One big thing on my to-do list is to learn how to use the camera I bought last July. Luckily, it takes phenomenal shots in the Auto mode - but I want to learn more. I will never be a fancy schmancy photographer, because the camera I bought is a bridge camera -- not quite an SLR because I can't change the lens, but so much more than a point & shoot. All the manual settings of an SLR - now I just need to learn them all! There's just so much! So ... I printed off the entire manual & will concentrate on ONE thing at a time. I also joined a discussion forum for my particular camera - a great place to meet people, ask questions & ogle other people's pictures. 

Here are a few of my recent favorite photos - still just taken on Auto:

This is my mom's cat Petey. Isn't he gorgeous? He's sitting at the kitchen table, wondering why everyone has a plate of snacks but HIM. If you can't tell, he's a bit ... um ... WIDE. But he is the most LOVING cat. A total baby :)

This is Puddy, my mom's other cat (that's PUDDY, like in Seinfeld). Very lean & sleek - we think he's part Maine Coon - & also gorgeous, but not as cuddly as Petey. BUT he's way more active & therefore way more entertaining. Depends on what you're in the mood for. Laughter or snuggles. 

I don't know why but I love this picture - a dark & rainy day in Milwaukee. You can see the Calatrava Art Museum right in front of us. I love Milwaukee - we just don't take advantage of all the things it has to offer. On this day we were at Discovery World - if you're ever in the area it's a must see!

I like how this one turned out too, with the snow in the background. And it looks like he's trying to tell me something. Maybe he's saying "#*$(# WINTER! When is spring going to be here?". Don't worry, little birdie - we are ALL saying that. 

I've been spending most of my free time in the kitchen & have really made some yummy things lately. No pictures - but I do want to share some amazing recipes. All courtesy of Pinterest (which is what I do in the rest of my free time):

Paula Deen's Mountain Dew Cake

Strawberry Nutella Braid

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Bake (I'm sure this one is EXTRA healthy)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake


What can I say - I love to make (& eat) things that probably aren't the best for me LOL. 

**Oh - I wanted to ask you - I understand Google will not have Reader anymore. That makes me sad! I depend on that! I wonder why they made that decision? What do you use to keep track of blog updates? I have about 80 blogs that I follow!

I don't have a recent Easter card to share, but this is one I did for an Etsy customer a couple of years ago. Custom made - & she didn't like it :(  I ended up selling it to someone else. Sheesh, no wonder I don't make cards anymore LOL!

Thanks for hanging with me for a while. I hope you all have a fabulous Easter!!!