Reach Beyond Limits

Reaching the Limit

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 04:38:34 PDT

I am taking a long break on this blog to reorganize and to find order!

PS...Comment has been disabled...

Celebrate 4th of July

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:01:25 PDT

I didn't get to see this iris (?) blossom since it grew on school ground, and we are now on summer vacation. The colors: red, white and blue were just extraordinary and when I took the pictures I knew I would use them for Independence Day. Aren't they perfect?

Happy 4th of July!

Joining Midweek Blue!!

Crazy For Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:35:37 PDT

With a strange weather we had this year, I don't see many Gerbera daisies around, even at local nurseries. Too much rain and not enough sun are not good for many of my flowers either.

My fascination always began at the heart of the flower since it was such an amazing complicated sight of structure. The petals too were remarkable, layer after layer!

I haven't seen a color of gerbera daisy that I don't like, and they come in many different colors! This year the gerbera daisy did not in abundance at all.

Linking to Give Me Your Best Shot, Flaunt Your Flower, and Macro Friday!

Pale Color Pink Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:44:00 PDT

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.

~John Barrymore

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.

~James Openheim

Joining Wordless/Wordful Wednesday, and 52 Weeks of Happiness!

Shaved Snow Cone

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:00:49 PDT

Being 12 was not fun when it came to Mother's day to buy a present. However, JoJo was very resourceful and created this beautiful shaved snow cone as a gift for me.

He took wood-shop in school and had some ideas on how to use wood. He took a small discarded piece of wood from school, and worked on shaving the woods into strips at home.

He then made the cone out of paper, and glued all of these curly strips together to create the look of a snow cone. While his big brother and sister could afford a better present, this one came from the heart of a child. Yes, it is now a treasure for me.

Joining Midweek Blue!!

Extraordinary Marking Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:46:00 PDT

This beautiful marking on the lilies were just extraordinary, and the orange color was very bright. It was so vibrant to pass up the opportunity to photograph.

Special marking lilies

They were on the shelf at Lowe's and tipped over, hanging above my head. So I just took shots of these beautiful marking lilies.

Close up shot of lily

I just love the special look on these lilies. They really just grabbed my attention, and demanded to be stars of the blog for this week.

Linking to Give Me Your Best Shot, Flaunt Your Flower, and Macro Friday!

Fleabane Growing

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:21:54 PDT

Fleabane daisy

I like watching things grow, and as this beautiful lavender fleabane daisy grew, so were my photos collection!

Sea breeze daisy

This flower is also known as Sea Breeze daisy, and the color is so pretty to see. Summer is best since I can see different flowers, and colors all around.

Joining Wordless/Wordful Wednesday, and 52 Weeks of Happiness!

Crab Apple Blossoms On a Blue Plate

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 16:44:00 PDT

Yeah, you can say that I'm nut...no, maybe just a bit quirky! While the crabapple flowers blossomed, it rained for days and I couldn't stay outside for long, so I grabbed some flowers and brought them inside.

Then I arranged them on my beautiful blue plate as an offer to Sally for Blue Monday! Ok, now you can say that I'm creative in my desperate attempt :-). Have a great week!

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

Deep Pink Columbine Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:26:59 PDT

Deep pink columbine flower

There are so many varieties of columbine flowers, and this specie has many layers of petals, which I love. In a recently trip to the Belle Isle Conservatory, I saw patches of columbine flowers around the pond.

Light and deep pink columbine

They must have seeded themselves each year, and can grow through the gravel paths without too much fuss. Yet, when I bought them and grow in my garden, they didn't seem very happy.


Pink Columbine

I give up the thought of buying them this year, and just enjoy looking at them from wherever I see them. My soil is not right for them to thrive, and I'm not a successful gardener. Enjoy your weekend!

Linking to Give Me Your Best Shot, Flaunt Your Flower, and Macro Friday!

Orange Gerbera Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:31:00 PDT

We are officially on summer break since today is the last half-day for the year. Students are out of school until September. We had a couple of really hot days, and now it is back to cooler temperature.

Many of my flowers that I've planted from seeds this year have not germinated since they're lacked of sun light. How is your garden growing?

Joining Wordless/Wordful Wednesday!

Online Savings With Discover Bank

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:25:27 PDT

If you are looking for an online banking, and want to know down to the numbers, you should check out Discover Bank using a savings interest calculator. You can sign in if you already have an account with them, or sign up for one if you are a new customer.

You have four options to consider: a regular online savings account, Money Market, CDs, and IRA CDs. Respectively, the yielding is currently at 1.15%, 1.05%, 2.35%, and 3.00%, and is insured by FDIC. Moreover, you can also monitor your account on the go with your mobile phone.

Using the savings bond calculator will give you an idea on how much you would earn on your investment, and meet your goal for the future. It is always a smart idea to start as soon as you can, and I am looking into this option seriously. The IRA CDs is grabbing my interest at the moment.

A Complete Set of Blue Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:11:00 PDT

This is a complete set of blue tableware I saw at TJ Maxx. I love the flower pattern, but my boys didn't really go for them. Too feminine for them, they said! Both of my sons love blue color, and in fact, their rooms are painted dark blue!

In any case, they are perfect subject for me. Enjoy your new week!

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

My First Allium Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:14:00 PDT

For two years, I watched my neighbor's allium flowers bloom, and always admire the ball-shape of these gorgeous flowers. I look for seeds at the garden center, but I hadn't crossed any.

I asked my neighbor for the dried allium flower heads last year, and patiently removed the seeds myself. Then I planted all the seeds that I had gathered just to make sure some of them would survive, and yes one did.

Yup, I was happy beyond words when I saw the bud of this allium. A handful of seeds yield just one flower, but a good one indeed. Well now you know! I'll be collecting the seeds again this year, and plant more of these gorgeous allium flowers.

Linking to Flaunt Your Flower, and Macro Friday!

Violet in My Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:35:00 PDT

It is always wonderful to look for wild flowers in my back yard, and these violets had really taken off this year after so much rain that we're having! In fact, violets are covering everyone's lawn. Some have more than others, but violets thrive in wet weather.

Joining Simple Pleasures, and Wordless/Wordful Wednesday!

Blue M & M Candies

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:53:00 PDT

Yup, time to tempt your sweet teeth with these blue peanut M & M chocolate covered! I love them as snack, just once in a while though, for when I'm on the soccer field with JoJo.

If you want some, just reach through your computer's screen and grab some, but I'm not responsible for any bodily harm or damage done to your computer. :-)

In any case, what is your favorite flavor of M & M? I think they all taste the same, and the color is just added for attracting our eyes. What do you think?

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

Shine Like a Dandelion

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:13:19 PDT

Did I tell you we had rain? It rains almost for five days straight, and when the rain stopped, I looked to see how much damage it caused to my yard, but this old dandelion head shined through.

The white feathery seeds held their shape even after a heavy down pour. The green grassy ground was a beautiful back drop for this dandelion to shine.

The lighting was also perfect after the rain, not too dark and not too bright, and was just enough to make the white dandelion head a sign of beauty to be hold!

Linking to Flaunt Your Flower, and Macro Friday!

White Tulip

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:39:00 PDT

I do love watching my tulips grow, as they try to stay alive just when the winter was done, even though the weather was still cold for human to thrive.

I'm very sure that the menace squirrels around my area are responsible for the disappearing of my tulips. We used to have many different colors, but now just mainly white ones!

It's the simple pleasures for me to watch flowers blossom, vegetable growing, and trees filling out with leaves. It is the renewal of hopes!

Joining Simple Pleasures, and Wordless/Wordful Wednesday!

Blue Jay Landed

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:04:00 PDT

We had bread, different kinds of bread, sandwich bread, beget, french bread, hamburger bread, hot dog buns, etc...We have more bread than I care to see because my oldest boy loves bread.

Yes, bread gets stale faster than we can eat, but the birds love them! Blue Jay comes in pair to eat them, fight with each other, and noisily takes over the back yard.

My point and shoot camera couldn't get any closer for better pictures because these blue jays can sense when human is around. Any movement from me then they would take off.

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

Fancy Purple Columbine Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:39:00 PDT

As soon as we have a break with the weather, I went to the home store to see their garden area. There were so many beautiful ones to see, and these deep purple columbine flowers were dancing their way to my heart.

The many layers of petals on these columbine flowers were just amazing, and the head seemed to be heavier than their body can hold, but they held up just fine.

Since I love columbine, I bought one pot to grow, but they didn't like my environment and left a hole in my heart, not to mention my pocket! I'm now contented just to see them in other people's yard or at local garden center.

Linking to Flaunt Your Flower, Photo Feature Friday, and Macro Friday!

White Bleeding Heart Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:49:25 PDT

I've always like to see bleeding hearts, and very tempting to have them in my yard for how I love the flowers lined all up in a row like this. However, giving the fact that I have black thumb and very little space, I just have to enjoy looking at them in the nursery.

Seeing all kinds of flowers blooming makes me happy, and it is also a stress reliever for me. When I had enough with my own environment, I escape to the nurseries, or go out in nature for a short time.

While out and about, I forget the thought on a messy house, pile up in the garage, or what needs to be done. I always have to face those chores and tasks when I get back home.

Joining 52 Weeks of Happiness, and White Wednesday!

Bowling for Columbine Paints a Vivid Picture

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:46:54 PDT

Content by Mitch Osborne

I watch a lot of documentaries and I like the fact that my Direc 4 U satellite On Demand feature lets me see them when I want to free of charge. Recently I saw Michael Moore's “Bowling for Columbine,” and it had a big effect on me. I felt sorry for the families of the kids who were killed or wounded and also the families of the two shooters. Moore's point of view is that those boys were also victims of the culture of violence that exists in America. I had little trouble agreeing with his argument.

He does a good job recounting the tragic events that occurred that day in Colorado, but the piece also paints a vivid picture of the gun culture in America. I have to say I was totally blown away to find out how little gun crime takes place in other industrialized countries where gun laws are much stricter, less than 100 per year each in Britain and Japan. There is a hilarious and poignant animated section tracing the history of the 2nd Amendment, which provides the right to keep and bear arms. . And, with the help of two of the victims of the shooting, Moore persuades K Mart to stop selling ammunition, which was incredible. I didn't think they had a chance of succeeding but they did. It proved to me that activism still has some teeth in America.

Blue Weed Flower

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:58:01 PDT

This is a tiny little flower that growing everywhere in my yard. It is actually as tiny as a little dot, and without a zoom lens I would have missed it. Even with my 7mega pixel point and shoot camera, it did an amazing job.

This little blue flower only opens when there is sun, and folds up when the weather is gloomy. Now, after this discovery, I stop yanking these weed out and let it grows.

These blue flowers are my models for the week. Poor things, the camera is constantly in their face ready to capture their movement.

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

Entering in Bella Photography's Contest "Blue"..

Cluster of Deep Purple Columbine

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:21:00 PDT

It's hard to decide on a particular color for these columbine flowers. In a certain light, they looked maroon-ish and in a certain light they had purple tone.

Some time the bright sun is hard to aim and shoot when I have no manual control on the camera to allow just a certain amount of light in. Oh, it is even extremely harder when the flowers were not mine.

Deep dark purple columbine

Sneaking around to shoot flowers is fun and thrilling, but when the pictures didn't turn out the way I wanted, I had to blame it on something or someone, right?

Linking to Flaunt Your Flower, Photo Feature Friday, and Macro Friday!

Blue Lobelia Magadi

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:44:00 PDT

The sign on these little flowers said Magadi Lobelia and Lobelia Magadi. This was the first time for me to see these pretty blue flowers.

Yes, my eyes are trained now to look for blue flowers, or other blue things when I'm out and about. I have no problem spotting red, yellow, orange, or white, but blue takes a bit searching.

These magadi lobelia are known to be heat tolerance and attracting butterflies to garden. They are easy to grow as in baskets, as border, in containers, ground covering, as well as slopes. The magadi lobelia is annual, but comes in a variety of colors such as, blue, dark blue, violet, lavender, pink, white, pink, and a mixed of spotted white.

Joining Blue Monday and Midweek Blue!!

Join An Affiliate Program With Blue Global Media

noreply@blogger.com (Icy BC) — Sun, 15 May 2011 12:51:14 PDT

Looking for a way to earn some extra money? Blue Global Media offers new advantages for people who are searching for a great way to make money on the side or in their spare time. Needless to say, it will take time to build up an income at first, but persistence will pay off for hard workers.

The company has two options for you to think about: becoming a publisher or joining the international affiliate network or both. As a publisher you will have the opportunity to promote products or services, and earn a percentage of your sales from advertisers. If you already have your own websites, you can sign up for the affiliated program and earn money this way.

Another interesting program on this website is their Payday affiliate program, where you could earn up to $105 dollars per lead. If you're thriving, know the technical part of the internet world or how to drive traffic to your site, I think it is worth looking into.