Photo 101

A-Z Photography Theme Challenge

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Photography Themes

Using photography themes is a great and fun way to develop your skills and organize your photos.

Why should you take part in a challenge? Sometimes we tend to run out of ideas. Secondly, after living in a place for a while, we develop a mental block and a taken for granted attitude that overlooks possible objects of creativity around us.

We need not look far to turn ordinariness into great images because there are ALWAYS something worth capturing. This A-Z photo challenge will get your creative juices flowing.

There are no hard and fast rules to take part. You can take photos with whatever gadget you have. Simply show your interest in the comments and add the pingback to your shoots so that others can check it out as well.

I will collate all the participants URL and share at the end of the challenge.

Looking forward to seeing your great images. Have fun.

Quick D.I.Y on Adding a Pingback

Simply right-click on the URL you want to copy and share

Click on ‘copy link address’

On your editor, click on the link icon circled in red below

Insert the copied link into the box for URL and the proper text that you want the link to read.

Be sure to click on ‘open link in a new tab’ so that the reader can reach the page without exiting your site.

A-Z List

A. Abstracts, Apple

B. Bare feet, Bicycle

C. Clouds, city scenes,

D. Decorations, Dogs

E. Eggs, Environment

F. Feline, Flowers

G. Gardens, Gold

H. Hands, History

When Men Choose To Bless You – Personal

January 5, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

Unprecedented gestures of kindness move me beyond what words can truly say and as I write this I search for the right words to express my sense of thankfulness.

It’s not my intention to embarrass this kind gentleman and because of that, I’ll leave his name out of this short note. I was raised to always be thankful and like my mother always asked us back then when someone did something for any of us, “Did you say thank you?” I hope you know that silent gratitude is not of much use to anyone because they are not aware that you are thankful.”

I received notification of a donation from PayPal and in all honesty, I was taken aback. For several minutes I checked through all my email interactions and address book and the sender’s name was not stored anywhere. There had been absolutely no exchanges between us.

I dashed off a quick email through the address that I saw on the PayPal notification and he responded promptly. His comments warmed me from tip to toe and my heart truly swelled with gratitude.

Why this unexpected gift struck me so deeply is the fact that I went to sleep tussling with how to manage the payment for my blog for this year only to wake up to see a notification of donation that will cover the payment of my subscription.

I was contemplating letting my subscription lapse and using free hosting till I sort things out, which is simply not the best option and would hamper a whole lot that I do on my site.

My other blog The Art of beautiful expressions cost me quite a bit to set up and putting both costs together is a luxury that I truly can’t afford right now, though I’m hopeful that they will soon pay themselves and leave me a little extra to bless others with.

What can I say, but call this GRACE and FAVOUR. It made me think of the gift of the mercy of God. Paid in full without asking for anything.

When men choose to bless you out of the abundance of their spirit, know that there’s a higher power in control. You’ve not earned it, for all good gifts around us are freely given and come from heaven above.

Thank you, kind Sir, for your blessing to a woman whom you’ve never met. May your pockets never run dry. May your cup overflow with blessings from above.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

The Daily Post

Crossing The Bridge

January 5, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha18 Comments

When crossing the bridge of difficulties

don’t forget your knapsack of determination

wear your best boots of hope

and your favourite pullover of faith

toss on a scarf of good attitude

cinch your belt of positive thoughts

with a compass of patience

you are set to go.

You start with you and end with you.

The Daily Post – Crossing

Discover Challenges

What’s My Superpower?

January 4, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha9 Comments

What’s my super power;
pray, do tell?
Let me look under the bed
I bet I’ll find the answer there

I could fly if I try
how wonderful that sounds
for sure I’ll fall through the sky
and make a huge splat.

I could disappear and reappear
which surely sounds supper
for sure my trundling tiptoe
would leave a shadowy trail

I could do many imaginary things
become a Power-Puff mama
Alas! these belong in Disney World
where make believe works like magic

I do a lot of simple things
my children say I’m the best mother ever
I believe them and like the title
Supermom

I smile a lot, laugh heartily and can cheer you up
my listening ears available
with sage counsel, if you wish
that could do some good

I could whip up a good story
and make a decent companion
even play a ditty
though my voice barely carries a tune

I could make a list
of this and of that
but it would take forever
to write them all out

What’s my super power;
pray, do tell?
I believe that it’s by being me
a full ocean of humanness in one drop of a human.

So, what’s your Superpower?

♥

A ditty played on my keyboard

Tra la la, twiddle dee dee, it gives me a thrill

to wake up in the morning to the mockingbird hill

Tra la la, twiddle dee dee, there’s health and goodwill

you’re welcome as the flowers on the mockingbird hill

when the Sun in the morning peeps over the hill

and kisses the roses around my windowsill

then my heart fills with gladness when I hear the thrill

of the birds on the tree tops of the mockingbird hill.

Discover Challenge – Superpower

Featured Blogs

Featured Posts – Share Your Post Links

January 4, 2017January 4, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha

1456149614808[1]

‘PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LINKS.’

Today’s featured blogs posts are:

Do step in and show some love.

Lydia Step into Lydia’s and say hey. You’ll find posts on life-lessons, bipolar, chronic pain, creativity and much more.

We’ve howdied but we ain’t shook. What an excellent saying that I didn’t know before, which brings me to ask you, what’s your price tag on your ethics?

Phenomenal Maya Angelou The passage below from Bluertide grabbed and held my attention. Maya Angelou is one of my flame’s of inspiration.

My path didn’t cross with many strong females growing up. I lacked a parent that would reveal to me the uniqueness, strength and beauty I held. I had few female idols, and those I noticed seemed to follow the same faux type of vain girl power my mother held. This resulted in a string of bad choices on my part. I didn’t realize until later in life that I controlled my fate, my body, and my beliefs. I deserved respect. Maya Angelou spoke to me like the mother I needed. Her words hit me with brutal honesty mixed with love. In my head I heard her saying “child, you need to respect yourself first. You can sway those hips but only you control who’s grabbin’ a hold of ’em.”

Share your world – Listen to your heart, don’t hate. Help!

Lotus – A Tanka poem A beautiful poem. We should all be Lotus’s.

‘Do you want more eyes on your words?’

Well then, add your LINK INTO THIS LOOP.

Comments are disabled here to keep the loop tidy. Any comments or link you want to send can be added through the link in the post.

Thank you for your understanding and regards.

‘We create a cohesive community when we come together.

A Click A Day · Wordless Wednesday

Seeing double – Wordless Wednesday

January 4, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha5 Comments

Uncategorized

I’ve had an idea! — Making it write

January 3, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha

It’s 2.30am, and I should be in bed. I should leave this post for a time when I can express myself clearly, but I have to get it out there now. People are suffering and dying as a result of addiction, and I’ve found a unique way to help addicts. It’s all thanks to my […]

via I’ve had an idea! — Making it write

Rononvan's Weekly Haiku Challenge

Skip, Hop, Life is a Joy – Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku

January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

Her laughter, little skips, and spins

around the dancing tinkling water fountain,

a simple statement of Life’s joy.

Are you looking for something fresh to do? You could join Ronovan’s weekly haiku challenge.

My Thinking Corner

January 3, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha18 Comments

For several weeks my blogging has been in a rut or should I use a more colourful word ‘funk.’

I don’t lack the ideas of what to write and actually, I have about a 106 blog posts sitting in my draft waiting for me, yet I lacked the zeal and felt uninspired to look at them.

Whittling down my blogging and trying to understand my inertia made me realize that what I crave is change. I’ve kind of fallen into auto-blogging and it started to feel like same old, same old routine.

The question that bounces without any answer is, what am I going to do differently?

Frank Sinatra’s words come to my mind;

So take a deep breath

Pick yourself up

Dust yourself off

Start all over again

I am probably going to revamp my blog, do a new thing or two. So, if you find yourself in a funk now and again, just keep calm. Sometimes, all we truly need is a little time, a change of pattern and even a fresh coat of paint works for the blog as well 🙂

Jacqueline

A Click A Day

I Saw ‘Big Red’ Raili

January 3, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha2 Comments

You need to see how my face widened in a smile when ‘Big Red’ pulled up beside my ‘Yellow Ride.’

My thoughts automatically went to Raili of Soul Gifts.

I find it amazing that I’ve made some friends across oceans and continents through blogging and have come to know bits and pieces of their lives enough to think of them in relation to mundane things that I would normally have overlooked.