Creatively Fit 50 walk award!!

I have been awarded this lovely medal by my partner in crime, Hayley, over at Creatively Fit. You can read her lovely post here.
Hayley received a 50 walk award from me last week. You can see her award post here and her wonderful slide show here.

We have interviewed each other about our first 50 walks. You can read my answers below and read Hayley's here:)

Here is my slide show with music.(You may want to turn up the sound, it makes all the difference) It consists of 105 photos from my creatively fit walks.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

50 Creatively Fit Walk Interview:

1. Do you have a favorite walk? Why is it your favorite? If so, could you post a link to it here so we can see your fabulous photos?
I would have to say, any walks I took with my family members were my favorites. I did love the walk my mother and I did together, at Rollins College and Park Ave in Winter Park.

2. Do you have a favorite photo or collage from your first 50 walks? Post the photo or collage here. Ok, this is a hard one, I love so many of them for different reasons. See slide show to get a glimpse at some favorites:)

3. Do you have a photography tip for us? Try the spin art photography, it's super fun!! Thanks Noah for discovering this! My overall tip would be, NEVER SAY NEVER. There are great photo opportunities in every situation even when there's not adequate lighting. One other tip would be to take pictures at extreme angles. Don't be afraid to lay down on the ground and get a little dirty, if you have to. Anything for a dynamic photo!

4. What have you learned about your own creativity? Do you feel you have grown creatively? If yes, how so? I have learned that you never stop learning and that there is always room for creative growth. Creativity is about being open to all possibilities! Creativety= an open mind

5.What was your fitness routine before Creatively Fit? I joined the gym and went religiously for a month and than...life got in the way. In my twenties I was commented to working out at the gym. In my thirties my babies kept me fit. Now in my early forties I'm realizing that it's up to me again!

6. Have you seen a change in yourself physically? More energy, increased stamina, weight loss...?
Definitely increased stamina and energy as well as firmer hips, thighs and gluts. I'm feeling pretty good!!

7. Fitness is not just about the physical. Have you seen a change in yourself mentally, emotionally or spiritually? Of course, if any of these questions seem too personal, you don't have to answer. Yes, I have seen growth in other ways. I feel so much more connected to the physical world and people around the world. When you are driving by the landscape at 60 mph it's hard to notice the little things. It's as if they didn't exist. Now, I find that something as tiny as a pebble sized weed, growing in a sidewalk crack, has potential. Now I just need a macro lens to capture it:)

8. Do you have a fitness tip for us? Yes, you can see it here. Another one would be, every step counts. A 5 minute walk is better than a 0 minute walk and so on... Getting up and moving is the first step to fitness!

9. How do you keep yourself motivated to get out there every day? Creatively fit teammates and the blog keep me motivated. I have a strong desire to connect with other and the blog makes that possible.

10. Any other words of wisdom about being creatively fit? Yes, join!! You won't be sorry.

Are you the next award winner?! Start thinking about your answers to these questions, and keep walking!!

Thank you! For following along on my Creatively Fit journey.
Have a great day!
Cindy

Two new chalkboards!

These two chalkboards are framed with vintage frames! These chalkboards would fit in nicely with many different styles of decor. I will be listing them in my etsy shop shortly!:)

More chalkboards to come...
I hope everyone's having a great weekend!
Cindy

Update on Fred the squirrel

Today while the kids were in school I took Fred to the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge. It was this little unassuming place located in Orlando. It is a non profit organization that cares for discarded pets and rehabilitates injured or orphaned animals, like Fred. It was interesting seeing animals that you get glimpses of everyday, but never really see up close, like a possum. One of the animal caregivers looked over Fred and noticed that he had mange and was rather dehydrated. She will keep him in isolation while the mange is being cleared up. Once he is mange free she will put him in with other squirrels before assimilating back into nature. I hope Fred does well. I think we got him there just in time.
I would urge anyone who encounters an injured or orphaned baby wild animal to bring it to your local wild life refuge rather than trying to keep it and raise it as a domesticated pet. It's safer for you and the animal!

Good Luck Fred! We will miss you but we know you will be happier with your other squirrel friends!

Meet Fred!

Today when Noah was taking Lucy for a walk, he came across a lost little baby squirrel. Noah came run into the house and told me to come quick and bring my camera, he found a baby squirrel! The poor little thing looked frightened and alone. As all the neighborhood kids were getting home from school, the excitement began to build. They were handling the poor little guy. I told them to put him back right where they found him, that maybe his mommy would return for him. As they all watched from across the street, a hawk swooped down and tried and get the baby. The kids wanted to take him inside to keep him safe. They have been feeding him formula through an eye dropper and keeping him warm in a basket of soft towels.

Tomorrow I will be taking Fred to the Wildlife Refuge, so he can be properly cared for, weened and set free to live a happy squirrel life.

Creatively Fit X Post

We had so much fun today I thought I'd post it twice, here and on Creatively Fit

Today it was just the boys and me! I wanted to go out walking but knew I had to make it someplace interesting for the kids. I decided to take them over to the local Community College, SCC. I didn't realize just how worth their while it would be. I figured Sunday would be a good day to roam the campus, since there were no classes in session. We started our walk at the Professional Automotive Training Center. The boys were peeking in the windows of the garage while I was clicking away. Then a gentleman pulled up in his truck and asked if we needed help. I explained what we were doing and he told us that yesterday would have been a great day to come, as they had a big car show here. Unfortunately, we missed it:( It sounded like something the boys really would have enjoyed.
He asked us if we wanted a tour of the school. He also asked if the boys would like to see an awesome car that was in the garage. It was a corvette with a 700 horsepower engine! Of course they wanted to see it! The car was about to be picked up by someone who was taking it back down south on a flat bed.

Here are the pictures of our wonderful tour! He let the boys go up on the flat bed to see in the trunk. Then they revved the engine(my boys live for this stuff!). Finally, they pulled this awesome car out of the garage, on the flat bed, as the truck lit up like a Christmas tree, with flashing lights everywhere! It was a real treat for us all! Jason, our tour guide and professor at the school, was the nicest guy! You can tell he truly loves what he does and got a kick out of making the boys' day! Thank you Jason!

After our tour we continued our walk around campus.

We walked from the Automotive School to the Center of Public Safety. My older son knew what this was all about because, he said, he watches the Discovery channel. He told me this is where they train fire fighters. I was fascinated by how much my eleven year old knew about it!

Here is a collage of some of the many signs around the school. We only walked around a small portion of the school because my little one wasn't feeling well and he was getting very cranky. I have a feeling he'll be home from school tomorrow.

Well, who says walking around a college campus is boring? We will definitely be back to explore more of this campus!
I have added Tip #16 Places to walk
Where did you walk today?
Wherever it was, I hope it was fun!
Cindy

Friday's Featured Follower

Happy Friday! Today's FFF is...

Aimee @Garden Adornments

Here is what Aimee writes about herself:
I am 36 and have a love and passion for designing beautiful, romantic and unique pieces. I am inspired by everything French. I love to shop for great finds at antique stores, estate sales and architectural salvage stores. My background is in Interior Design and Decorating and I am also a Certified Home Stager. I have had my online Home and Garden Boutique for two years and released my line of French Inspired Pillows in May of 2009. I have done so well with them that I am selling them wholesale as well as retail. I also design jewelry and art and love photography as well. My greatest joy are my children who are 15 and 5 and my wonderful friends!

Aimee has a great sense of style and a beautiful family. There is so much to explore on her blog that I will be going back regularly to find more inspiration.

This is one of Aimee's fabulous pillows! It was featured in Romance Homes magazine's annual bedroom and bath's addition! I love it!

Look at her amazing work space!
Aimee was also interviewed by HGTV click here to read the interview.

She is a wonderful photographer too. Here is one of her elegant photos.
Aimee is a very talented designer/artist and a successful business woman. She is a true inspiration! Thank you for following my blog. I am honored

Please, stop by Aimees blog, there is so much more wonderful inspiration. You won't be disappointed.

A word about FFF. I love featuring my followers. It is my way of saying thank you and I get to spend more quality time with you:).

Hint: It is easier to feature blogs with a label menu. It makes it much easier to hop around your blog by category. It's like a table of contents of a book.:) Think of your blog like a book. When somebody comes to visit, a table of content makes it easier to thumb through the pages. I have put a table of content at the top of my blog for that reason. I hope you will thumb through the pages to get to know me better!:)

Have a great day! and weekend!!
Cindy

Part II of my Creatively Fit Post

This is a two part post. Part I is on Creatively Fit!

To see part one of this post click here.

Part II
Winter Park, Park Avenue

Rollins is located in Winter Park, Florida. Park Avenue is right across the street from Rollins College. I guess that would make this their college town. Not your typical college town. After lunch we continued our walk on Park Ave. We started in this lovely rose garden.

Right beyond the rose garden is the train station. This train travels down to Miami and up north(not sure how far), I included two photo formats. I couldn't decide which I liked better. For some reason, I usually choose to hold my camera vertically, not sure why.

Here are some random shots of details that caught my eye.

What is a trip to Park Ave. without a little shopping? Ok, so, not real shopping, just window shopping and walking, today. Notice the chalkboards, there were many!

Today I played hooky. I did not plan to spend the whole day walking and clicking but we just got carried away. The kids and I did take Lucy to puppy school tonight, so something did get done today.

Do you have a pretty college campus in your area? It may be a perfect place for a creatively fit walk!
I hope everyone had a great day!
Cindy

Camera Spin Art!

Noah got me hooked! Yesterday on our morning walk, Noah discovered something new to do with the camera. You can read about it here. Well, last night while I was driving alone, I was waiting a the red light and had a great idea! I quickly took out my camera and started waving it all around taking pictures of the dashboard and traffic/street lights. Don't worry I only did this at red lights when I was at a full stop:) It is so much fun to move the camera around at different speeds and motions to see what surprising result I would get. It reminded me of spin art. I went through I major spin art period when I was a kid:) I covered a wall in my bedroom with my spin art paintings. (Yes my relationship with paint goes way back to the spin art days). I was so excited with my camera spin art results too . I felt like a kid again! Thank you Noah! However, when showing my hubby my fantastic results, he walked away half way through my presentation! He said it was monotonous! I will try not to bore you all with my camera spin art. So this will probably be my only post on the subject-if I can help myself haha!

I encourage anyone who loved spin art, as a kid, to give this a try! It's fun!

Here are all my results!

Noah had another great idea! He said, at Christmas time we should go to this place, in our town, that does a major light display. I better get this child his own camera!:)

Noah's discovery!

This morning, before sunrise, my son and I took Lucy for a walk. Of course, I grabbed my camera. You never know when a creatively fit walk will happen. It was dark and the sun was barely beginning to appear. I tried to take a picture but with insufficient light it was blurry. Noah looked up at the sky and said, "Mommy, give me the camera!" He started snapping away and discovered the trail of light the was left by the slow shutter speed. He got very excited and continued experimenting with different movement. We passed the camera back and forth playing with his creative experiment. 63 pictures later we realized we had a very creatively fit walk! Here are the results!

To see some of our abstract creative photos up close click here

Never Forget!

In honor of the innocent lives lost, and the brave men and women who gave their lives to try and save others, and those who worked tirelessly to help others in the days that followed, and those who are fighting today to protect our freedom, I want to stop and remember and pray for the families of September 11th and our country. We must never forget!

We must continue to fight for our freedom and the American way of life.




God Bless America!

Creatively Fit/ Chalkboard Updates

After 30 Creatively Fit walks, I have discovered that I have a lot of pictures! Several subjects seem to be popping up repeatedly in my photo collages. I thought it would be fun to categorized these photos by subject. I have created several collages for my first 30 walks. Here is my first collage. I hope you will join us in becoming Creatively Fit!

"FLOWERS"

On the chalkboard front, we have almost reached our 30th sale at Chalk it Up! We are still hard at work finding beautiful old frames and transforming them into lovely, functional framed chalkboards. Stop by my etsy shop to have a look.:)

Have a great day!
Cindy

Walking with Lucy!

We adopted Lucy one week ago today! She is a sweet little puppy and is adapting very nicely to her new home. We are so happy that she has become a part of our family! Here's a little slideshow of a walk Lucy and I took this week.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Friday's Featured Follower

Happy Friday Everyone! Boy, time sure does fly!

I am happy to present this weeks FFFOlive Rue

This is how she describes herself in her ABOUT ME:

Just a girl with a camera. In love with visual arts, especially photography and interior design. I’m hopelessly and incurably addicted to all things related to either one of these topics. So this blog is all about blending two of my favorite passions into a fusion of fabulous goodness!

I seem to recall in her old ABOUT ME, Olive Rue telling her real name... I want to say...Crystal (but I could be very wrong. I apologize if I am.)
For now I'll refer to her as Olive Rue...A fabulous name, I might add!

Olive Rue is from Georgia.
I fell in love with Georgia last summer when we rented a cabin in the mountains. One of the best vacations of my life!
Georgia would be a great place for Creatively Fit walks. hint hint;)

Olive Rue's blog is wonderful! There is so much to see and read I don't even know where to begin to point my readers. I would say, just click on the link and start exploring! Olive Rue

Here's one post that is sure to entertain and delight you. Barbies, Black eyed peas and Bargains.
This post is her 250th. In this post she takes us on a day trip to Hawkinsville GA.

I hope you will visit Olive Rue if you haven't already. This is one quality blog!

Olive has already been featured on other, more popular blogs than mine, so I don't think I'll be adding too much new traffic. I just wanted to say thank you for following my little ole blog and let you know how much I enjoy your blog!:)

I'd like to award Olive Rue with my Butterfly Blogger Award.

Thank you for following along!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Cindy

Shadow on a tree...

I have started working on a series of posts which will combine my chalkboard business and the Creatively Fit blog.

In the collage below, I have included photos from my day two walk for Creatively Fit and a new chalkboard that is for sale in my etsy shop. The quote that I chose pokes fun at my shadow pictures. In reads, "The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree." -Stephen Wright

Below is a collage of all of my pictures from my walk day 2.

Have a great day!

Homework Time! Using a chalkboard:)

In our house, homework is sometimes the most unpleasant time of our day. Homework is to be done right after school. Sometimes it feels like it drags on all night. Especially when we have after school activities.

Here's the script. "Do your homework. Do your homework. Is your homework done? Is your homework done? GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE! IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE________.

Thankfully, my second grader is a somewhat willing participant and my sixth grader is finally getting the routine, after all these years.

We have been using the chalkboard as a homework aid. We solve math problems, write sentences, spelling words and more. Using a chalkboard gives homework a more offical feel and makes it a little more fun!

HOMEWORK DONE for both!!:O) Ah, now to get on with the evening!