Where have I left my mind?

I am a caretaker for several elderly people withAlzheimer disease. They are all wonderful people, I love them dearly and I look forward to seeing them, but sometimes I wonder if they are contagious. The day before yesterday I thought I read on one of my favorite blogs that she was going to have a photo contest keeping with the theme of Love. She did a love contest last week. This week it was suppose to be forgotten love or lost love. That is the first thing I can't remember-what exactly was the title that she used.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and I decided to take advantage of the light and photograph some items that belonged to my mother-in-law, father and grandmother. I took the pictures edited them then looked for the post so I could enter them. I couldn't find it I hunted through all of my old e-mails from the last week and can't find it any where. I e-mailed my daughter to see if she remembers seeing it. She doesn't know anything about it. Now I am starting to think that maybe I dreamed the whole thing. I am going to share some of the pictures that I took with you. The first one is items not from my past, but from some people I loves past.

The box was my mother-in-law's. She always kept patterns in it. The handmade lace my grandmother Josephine made. The monkey was my father's as were the baby shoes. The jewelry was also my grandmothers. What memories of her they bring back. She used to to needle work

pictures as well as tatting. She tried to teach me how to follow a needle work pattern. I never did finish a picture, but I did learn to cross stitch. She taught me how to play solitaire. My sister, cousins and I would sit around her dining room table and play cards all afternoon. We lived in Michigan, she lived in Wisconsin. We only saw each other twice a year. She wouldn't call and talk long distance; that was for emergencies only, but letters traveled back and forth across the lake, several every month. Those letters were filled with love. They all were about the same. She would write about what they had for dinner and who came to visit, but they were always filled with love. She took the time to write to me. Oh how I miss her. She died the year my first child was born. As she was lay dying she held my babies foot and said the baby's name. I didn't know then that those would be the last words I heard her say. She would have loved her great grandchildren as she loved her grandchildren.

My lost mind has taken me down memory lane and maybe I will write more about the incredible people that are my ancestors and take more pictures that bring back memories. Never the less if someone finds my brain out there will you please send it home.

Same spot 22 years later

Here we are in the same spot as the previous post only 22 years later. The cattle have been replaced by the sheep and two donkeys. The little girl filling the tank has grown and has a little girl of her own. The tank has long been gone and an automatic waterer now delivers water to the livestock.

Original
Edited version

I edited this photo again using Kim Klaussen's History texture and Photo Shop Elements.

I have included the recipe for anyone wanting to try this on their own photos. Kim's Skinny Mini course is free and gives a good basic understanding of PSE. Here is the link to Kim's website. http://www.kimklassencafe.com/

I am going to try and keep warm and enjoy the sunshine here in Sunny Michigan

Playing with PSE and Textures.

Wow has it really been over a year since I posted anything. I will have to do better in the future. In the last few months I have become intrigued by Kim Klaussen's textures. You can see some of her work on http://www.kimklassencafe.com. She has a free class called the skinny mini that is well worth taking. I have also subscribed to her Test Kitchen where I have learned so much.

The photo above was one that I took when my middle daughter was just three. It seems like yesterday, but was actually 22 years ago. I wanted to warm it up a bit and sharpen it up. The photo, if I remember right, was taken with a point and shoot. I used Kim's nutmeg texture to give it a warmer look and add a slight frame. I also did some color fills and a gradient fill on it, as well as a high pass filter. I learned how to use all of these in Kim's Skinny mini class.

As you can see I am finally learning how to get all that I can out of my Photo Shop Elements. I will show you more of what I am learning in future posts. Hopefully sooner than next year.

Now I am off to finish the laundry.