365 Project - DAY 31

Round and a Round and a Round I go...

Niklas was just lying so sprawled out on the couch right before going to bed. I took a picture of him and then when I saw it, I wanted to try out another blur technique on the background, "radial blur". Looking at it kind of makes me dizzy!!

Here's the original picture:

365 Project - DAY 30

Today's picture is actually a toss up between two edits. I'm just not sure which one I like better!

We were at a midieval festival today with the three youngest kids. It was so interesting hearing the music, seeing the knights run around and have sword fights or other games, walking through a midieval market complete with beggars and entertainment, eating the food from that time (we had cannabis ("hanf") bread filled with spicy meats, cabbage and onions and a garlic sauce with cannabis seeds sprinkled on top.. it was actually very tasty and no, we did not feel any "funny" effects from it!)

I took this picture of Brianna and Niklas on one of the wood "practice" horses. The original picture is below and the two edits are of course, at the top of this post. I seem to like both the more colourful edit as well as the more nostalgic look of the sepia mask. What do you think?

365 Project - DAY 29

I Have a Little Frog

I have a little frog
His name is Tiny Tim,
I put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim,
He drank up all the water,
And gobbled up the soap!
And when he tried to talk
He had a BUBBLE in his throat!

365 Project - DAY 28

Brianna hates having her picture taken and Niklas poses for the camara whenever he sees one! Niklas can't figure out why Brianna is hiding...

365 Project - DAY 27

Three wise monkeys

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The three wise monkeys (Japanese: san'en or sanzaru, or sanbiki no saru, literally "three monkeys") are a pictorial maxim. together they embody the proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

Sometimes there is a fourth monkey depicted with the three others; the last one, Shizaru, symbolizes the principle of "do no evil".

365 Project - DAY 26

My Daughter

You'll never really know, my dear,
Just how much you mean to me,
A mother's love, buried so deep,
That only my heart can see.

When I sit and really stare at you,
All I can do is grin,
Somewhere down deep inside,
I see myself within.

I'd never change a thing in you,
I thank God that your so fine,
Even when your at your worst,
I'm so proud that you are mine.

The roads we have traveled,
were not always that good,
I would take back all the pain you've felt,
Only if I could.

I know that I'm not perfect,
It's the best that I can do,
But everyday, I thank the lord,
For a daughter as special as you.

poem by Janet Jenkins

365 Project - DAY 25

These Are The Years
These are the years, the gentle years,
The soft and sentimental years
When wee little fingers
Reach and touch
And little eyes gaze
With wonder and trust,
When you love so tenderly
And so so much,
These are the gentle years.
These are the years, the rainbow years,
The quiet, walk-on-tiptoes years,
And smiles and sighs
When both of you watch
With misty eyes
The tiny bed
Where a cherub lies,
These are the rainbow years.
These are the years, the tender years,
The blissful, sweet-surrender years,
When your little treasure
From above
Is the soul and purpose
And center of
Your plans and dreams
And dearest love,
These are the tender years.
- Barbara Burrow

365 Project - DAY 24

I like ice cream. Yes I do!
One scoop for me?
No! Make it two!
Hmmm two scoops of ice cream,
I want more
How about three?
No, make that four!
1, 2, 3, 4,
Splat! "oh no! It's on the floor!"

365 Project - DAY 23

Today's picture is actually an edit.

I'm working on a photo book for my daughter for her upcoming 18th birthday (18 is legal age in Germany).

To celebrate her childhood, I want to give a book of memories from birth to now. So I've been busy busy busy scanning hundreds of pictures into the computer from before the time we got a digital camara!

This picture was scanned in and I couldn't resist playing with it a bit. It's a picture of her and her older brother, both holding dolls that I had made them (and they still have them!)

original scanned version:

365 Project - DAY 22

Our manimal prints came in the mail today!
I was so happy with how they printed out!!

So today's pictures are of pictures! lol I put the pictures in the frames that I had bought (simple Ikea frames and I painted the white passepartouts a burgundy color) and took pictures of each of the framed pictures. I never realised how challenging it is to take pictures of framed pictures! That glass reflects like crazy! I couldn't do it without getting my reflection in the pictures! So here is a picture of each framed picture:


and here I have them lined up youngest to oldests on top of the bookshelves in our room. They're just sitting on the top of the cupboards right now, but they will be hung properly on the wall yet!


and most of you have probably already seen this, but I'm going to post the link here too. I've been busy working on a website this week for my fantasy pictures and here it is: http://www.wix.com/Fantasia66/Magical-Images-by-Fantasia


Free website - Wix.com

365 Project - Day 21

My little super star taking a ride in his car!
(notice the "papparazzi" reflected in his sunglasses?)

365 Project - DAY 20

Niklas is a toddler who needs his sleep. He will fall asleep anywhere when he is tired. He usually sleeps 12 hours at night and then still takes a 2-3 hour afternoon nap! Here he is asleep instead of finishing off his tomatoe salad at lunch. He was eating diligently a few minutes before this picture was taken and the next thing I knew he was sound asleep. I wiped him off, changed his diaper and put him in his bed without him once even opening his eyes!

We were just outside. It's over 37° C today (I just looked it up, that's 98.6° F). We are melting!!



















I found Niklas's expression so funny in the first picture. I posted the second because of the way the focus was on his hand. If I had tried to take this picture this way, it probably wouldn't have worked!

And I'm going to post one more picture today.
Awhile ago, we had wondered whether a point and shoot camara would produce bokeh. I guess mine does!

365 Project - DAY 19

THERE'S A SPIDER ON OUR TOILET
MUM SAYS ITS BIG AND LONG
SHE SAYS SHE'LL NEVER GO AGAIN
UNTIL THAT SPIDERS GONE

SHE SAYS SHE'LL RUN AWAY
SHE SAYS SHE'LL NEVER EAT
UNTIL THAT SPIDERS BIG AND LONG
HAS FINISHED ON OUR SEAT.
by Tina McMillan

365 Project - DAY 18

I love swing-ing.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye up
bye oh bye down.
Bye oh bye feet
way off the ground.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye high
bye oh bye low.

Bye oh bye faster
look at me go.

Bye oh bye flying
up to the sky.
Bye oh bye push me
higher than high.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

365 Project - DAY 17

Niklas loves playing with a doll right now. We call the doll "Baby" and that seems to have become his name.

Baby is actually 18 years old. He originally became a part of our family as part of our diaper business. I had imported cloth diapers from Canada to Germany and needed a model for showing how the diapers work and how they look like. Baby is a doll made for midwives for helping expecting parents get the look and feel of a newborn. He is anatomically correct and has the weight and feel of a newborn.

He has been carried around and loved by each of my children. After sitting for years in a dark storage box, he was taken out during my pregnancy with Niklas for diaper changing practices for my teenage kids and husband.

Now he is being adored by Niklas. He gets showered full of kisses, gets his tummy blown on (and slobbered on!), gets carried around and sometimes dropped and even stomped on, but most of all he's loved by a one year old little boy!

Hush, baby, my dolly, I pray you don't cry,
And I'll give you some bread, some milk by and by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,
With either you're welcome, with all my heart.



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Bonus: my african manimal family

As you may remember, my hubby and I have a bedroom in African look (a blogpost showing pictures: http://cherkoandco.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-room.html)

I wanted to do a series of 6 pictures that I will display in our room over the bookshelves.

I was trying to decide back and forth between pictures of each member of our family or of doing different african animals with focus on their distinctive markings. Then I suddenly thought it would be funny to combine the two!

So I have come up with this:

my daughter, the leopoard:

the original edited picture I had used:


my son, the elefant

original edited picture used:



my son, the zebra:

original edited picture used:


my son, the lion cub:

original edited picture:


my husband, the kudu:

and the original edited picture used:


me, the giraffe:

and the original edited picture used:


and the finished pictures how I want to frame them and line them up on the wall

(clicking on the picture should let you see it bigger)