Oh my gosh. I am soooo sorry!

So sorry! I've been really busy. Sheesh, this is hard on me. Thank you everyone who has voted on the poll. Judging by the results, I am going to turn this blog into a photography and writing blog! I won't start for a while though, I'll need to make a new blog header or whatever. So, thank you all of my viewers. I promise you that everything will be up and running soon! Thank you all so much for your patience. I can't thank you guys enough.
-Costello

Bithdays. So Many Birthdays.

Hello! So, title. All this month, I've probably had at least a dozen birthdays (not all mine, mine's not for another 7 months). Earlier I was helping my neighbor set up for her birthday party that's today, even though her birthday was a few weeks ago. There's probably gonna be like 60 people! It'll be crazy. Another birthday we have coming up is... drum roll.... Olive's! If you'd like, post a comment on this post with your happy birthday message!

Onto other things. I still haven't gotten any contest pictures yet. Send those in soon! And I'd like to thank everyone who voted on the poll. If you haven't, please do! It is on the right hand side.

Sorry about yesterday, everyone. I couldn't get a guest blogger and I wasn't even home. My brother had his first football game and I had to go. I was the photographer. :) They won 36-0! It was pretty awesome. As I was sitting in the bleachers with my camera, a group of three kids, probably like 9 or 10 who supported the other team, one was saying, "Oh, the ** ****** ******* always beat the puny little ********. The score was 22-0 as the kid was saying that. I almost burst out laughing. Pretty cool.

So! I should go. I have to help decorate more. I'm flat broke, so I couldn't get my neighbor anything, so helping out is my present. See ya! And don't forget to leave a happy birthday comment for Olive!
-Costello

I need your help. And other stuff.

Hello all! I'm gonna launch right into this. On the upper right, you may notice that I have added a poll. I really would like to turn this blog into not just photography, but writing as well. I'm really hoping that this will get me to start writing again. I'm planning on every Monday and Wednesday, I write a short story (thanks Jay for giving me this idea!), and Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my regular photography post. Please, I'd really like everyone's input on this. And have the regular random weekends and maybe guest bloggers on Fridays, if I get enough volunteers.

So! Photo contest! (thanks Shelby for the idea!) If you win, you can either guest blog on here, or I can guest blog on your blog! The topic for the contest is: whatever you want! You can send in a picture of whatever you want, but here are some rules.
1. Keep it appropriate.
2. No pictures of people, please. Unless you have their permission.

Email me at costello_shields@yahoo.com with your entry. Thanks and good luck!

Hello, Everyone.

Hi! As you may or may not have noticed, I changed up the blog a bit, starting with the template. On the right-hand side, you can see that I've added a new feature; Popular Posts. Those are the most popular posts since the beginning of the blog, but I may change that. I've also changed some things, added a new quote, blah blah blah. But I have a question for our dear readers. If you would like, you can be a guest blogger. Maybe I'll do some sort of contest to see. That's a good idea! I think I'll do that. Maybe a writing contest. or, more appropriate for this blog, a photography contest.  I will post up more details tomorrow. Thanks for your time! If you have any suggestions for more changes to the blog or any comments, please, let me know! Thanks!
-Costello

I Can't Believe That I Actually Have Time for Blogging. *headdesk*

It's true. Olive talked to me today, saying that school is being super hard on her and she has no time to blog, let alone go on NaNo. So basically, I'm running this ship alone. But that's all fine and dandy. I'll manage. Somehow. *sigh* Today I found time before I did my homework to take some pictures of a couple flowers that I've been meaning to... photograph. Let me know what you think!

Pretty, huh? I like them. Everyone, I've gotta talk to you all before I go. See, school has started. it's a new school, with much higher standards and a lot more I have to do, so I won't be posting as much. It really kills me to do this, because this blog is such a big part to me. I'm really sorry. I love you all.
-Costello

Argh, school is hard. :(

Sorry all, I have delayed this post. I have had a looooong day. I walked from my school to my old school, then, in a panic, walked back to my school in search of my flash drive that has everything on it. But thankfully, a friend of mine might have found it on her way home, so that's good. I don't have much time, so I am going to leave you all with one of my favorite pictures right now, and a little thing I found on the Internet. It's funny.

Isn't it pretty? I printed it out and now it's on my binder. :) People compliment it sometimes. When they care to notice me. I got my hair cut on Friday, and today only like 3 people noticed. Makes me realize how important I am to people. Now, here's the other thing I was talking about.

Haha! Funny! I wrote that down and I'm gonna put it in my binder. See you all later!
-Costello

No! I Almost Forgot!

I am so sorry. I almost forgot that today was Sunday and it's my day to post. I've had a lot going on these past few days. Yesterday, I went on an overnight camping trip/ birthday party for two of my friends.It was really fun. That's what I was doing, just to let you know. So I was thinking that I could do a sort of questionnaire for this post. I'll come up with some questions, and if any of our viewers (all of you wonderful people reading this post right now) have any more questions, just leave a comment!

What is your favorite color? I have 3. Blue, red, and lime green. :)
What is your favorite book? That's really tough. I really like series, like the Inkheart trilogy, Harry Potter (of course) and I'm getting into The Hunger Games right now, just finished book two. :D
What is your favorite subject in school? Lunch. Just kidding. Not really. I also like Language Arts, mainly the reading and writing parts.
What is your favorite movie? Hm... that's a toughie. One movie that I will never turn down would have to be the new Speed Racer. I am in love with that movie.
What is your favorite book genre? Fiction, mainly. Fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. Those also go with my writing.
Who invented the cotton gin and the phonograph? Eli Whitney and Thomas Edison. I don't see why that's relevant, but...
What is your favorite shoe brand? Converse. All the way. Especially All-Stars. And hi tops. I can only wear high tops.
Have you won a spelling bee? I almost did. Lost on the first word after days of practice. I was practicing the hard words!
Have you met a published author? Yes, actually, I have. I'm not sure if many people know who she is though. In the fifth grade, I won an essay/poster contest for going green. My essay got first place, and as an award I got a book, and I got it signed by the author, Sandy Holman I think it was. She was a very nice lady.

...And that wraps up the interview! Remember, if any of you have more questions, please leave a comment. Have fun!
-Costello

So Sorry.

Everyone, I am very sorry. For some reason, our guest blogger today didn't show (partly my fault) I am so so SO sorry. I promise you all that the blog will be up and running as normally as ever in no time. In the meantime, to quote NaNo in their 3-day shortage, please enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.

Suprise Guest Blogger!

Hey everyone, Costello here. No, I'm not the guest blogger. I'm part of this blog, duh. :) No, but to fill in for today, we have an extra guest blogger! This girl was very nice to whip up a quick blog post at the last minute. So, ladies and gentlemen... Jay!

------------------------------

Hey it's Jay from http://sweetsgalore.blogspot.com/. And Cos has asked me to fill in today for Olive. Because of stuff....
And well I don't have much to talk about, but maybe a random poem of mine. And I shall call this one Goodbye?

Rose has a purple heart
You have a dart
Six people only know
The tragedy that show
It was into the night
Before it started getting new
An apple lay on the floor
As the ball drew to a close
Death is near
I can hear it from my ear
And I must say goodbye
As she starts to share a lullaby
----------------------------
Thank you, Jay. You're awesome! Have a good day everyone!
-Cos and Jay

Shh, I'm Not Supposed to be on Right Now. :D

Just look at the title. I have a lot of things due for school. Right now, I'm supposed to be working on my science vocab and an assessment. And work on a collage. And some LA. No big deal, right? This post is going to be quick today. Oh, and sorry Olive hasn't been posting lately. She's gotten into a bit of... trouble. She'll be back on in no time! And on Friday, we have another guest blogger, Neso! (invisible_ninja)

My tip for today is sort of about photography, but also about school and such. Remember kids (and photographers with other jobs), work and school always come first, unless your job is being a photographer. Always. So this post is totally ignoring that tip, but I'm about to follow it. Hope everyone enjoyed! I might do another post tomorrow in case Olive can't. Goodbye everyone! Feel free to leave comments or anything. Thank you!
-Costello

"It's the Ciiiiiircle of Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!"

"The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else's lake." Yes, I know, tow different shows, songs, movies, whatever. Those are just the two that I have stuck in my head. The title, actually, has to do with today's post. You ready? Good. :)

All of these roses (They are five separate ones, yes) are from the same bush outside my house. While singing "Circle of Life" in my head, I thought it'd be a good idea to do something like this. There are several stages a flower goes through in its life, and here are five (well, to me anyway) of them. Just a little sort of science lesson that a tip can be pulled out of. So, tip. Flowers always have a good photo opportunity, even if they are dying. There ya go! Now, off to do my homework! (Don't tell my mom...)
-Costello

Olive and I Were Awarded! (Random and Award Ceremony Post)

As some of you might know, Olive and I were awarded by our great friend Stacy (aka, 1018mockingjay) at http://sweetsgalore.blogspot.com/! Okay, here goes.

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
Thank you Stacy (Jay) at http://sweetsgalore.blogspot.com/. You're awesome!

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

1. I love reading. A lot.
2. I normally get really good grades in school.
3. I took a Percy Jackson quiz to see what cabin/God or Goddess I should be put in, and first got Poseidon (describes me most) and second I got Hermes.
4. At my old school, I was practically one of the staff.
5. I set a ridiculously high word count for my first book, only got about 3,000 words in and stopped.
6. I don't have very many friends in real life, but everyone knows me.
7. I have gone to all of the same schools that my brother did, so now I'm known as his sister wherever I go.

3. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blogging buddies.
I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do this, but I'm just tagging along on Olive's five, also because I don't know of anyone else.

• Husky - Because she's awesome and funny and... did I mention awesome?
• Jack Renegade - Because she is one of my very good friends on NaNo, and she's always there for me like I am for her.
• Kiki - Because she's amazing and I like to impersonate her. :D
•  Thay - Because she is an amazing writer and person. 
• Elliptical - She thinks that people don't like her, when in reality, she is amazing. I love her! :D 

Love all of you guys! You all deserve it!

4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them!

 

Olive already (hopefully) did, but I'll be sure to thank her. :)

 

 

 

Now for my Sunday post!

 

Yesterday, I had lots of fun. I went to a car show, saw my dream car (1969 Camaro Z28 SS blue or red with white racing stripes) and did other fun stuff. I went to a kid casino (had an adult part too) with my brother and his girlfriend, and we got tons of tickets. I found 14 just sitting there abandoned in their games! At the end of the day, we turned them in and I got a slap band watch (awesome!), my brother got a Led Zeppelin mirror, and his girlfriend got a bendy flower thing. So much fun! Now today I had to clean all day. :( I have to go, clean my room and such, get ready for school tomorrow, all that boring stuff. Thank you for the award! I'd like to thank the Academy...

-Costello                                                         

I was awarded!

I won an award! Here are the rules I must follow of course. :)

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

Thank you Jay! You are sooo awesome!!

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

1 - I've been writing since I was about 9 or 10.
2 - I lost my best friend of about 5 years because her parents are stupid.
3 - I love the movie Holes. Don't judge.
4 - I love Tim Hawkins. Hence the whole "Don't Judge" thing.
5 - I'm really sarcastic. In real.
6 - I get told I'm mean everyday in real life.
7 - I like romance.
 3. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blogging buddies.

• Husky - Because she rocks, and yeah.
• Jack Renegade - Because she wrote an awesome blog post, even though she like freaked out during half of it :)
• Kiki - Because well, I love reading her blog. She is such a wonderful blogger, and I think it comes out wonderful in her writing. :)
•  Thay - Because I love her. =)
• Elliptical - Someone random from NaNo. I shall start reading your blog....now!

4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them!

Yup. Going to do that now. Thank you for telling me to do so.

-Olive

Jack Renegade Here!

Hi, everybody...Jack Renegade here. Um, I'm the guest blogger for Cossy and Olive.


I enjoy photography, but there's two reasons why I don't do it often; one, I'm not very good at it, and two, I don't have that much time on my hands to do it.

I prefer taking photos of either nature or animals. They're just so much more interesting than humans...here's some pictures of my dog and my cat. Oh, and some bumblebees.

Yeaaaahhh...my German Shepherd, as you can probably tell, doesn't like pictures. She thinks you're going to shoot her or something.

Anyway...back on topic. I don't rely on editing my photos to make them look good, or waiting for just the right moment to take the photo. I rely on perspective.

For instance, the pictures of the red rose and the stinging nettle below.

With the rose, it was a complicated procedure...I had to lie down in the beauty bark where my mom plants the roses, arch my head back, and snap the photo. XP Yeaaahhh. Did you know that beauty bark is sharp? I do.

The nettle was easier. I just got into a half-crouch and shot the photo. But to me, the hard work pays off in the end, because it's fun to look at your photos and feel smug about what a good job you did. XD

Soooo....

Yeah.

That's about it.

Jack Renegade, signing out.

It's Really Hard Coming up With Titles for These Things.

  It is! If you have a blog, you'll most likely know what I'm talking about. And guess what everyone? If you have been keeping count like I have, (creepy...) tomorrow is...? That's right! My first day of school. I'm hopefully gonna have fun. Plus, being on the yearbook committee is good for a budding photographer like me. I'm bringing my camera. And if I forget my pencil (long story, inside joke, you know the whole bit) I'll have to wash my teacher's car. :( But with school starting means I'll have less time to blog, but, for the sake of our viewers, I will consistently take photographs so I can please your daily photography needs! Now, on with it!

  The picture of the tree I actually took at my school. It was pretty cool. Hey! I rhymed! How awesome! Okay, back to the post. Today's tip isn't really a tip, more of a suggestion. Do you ever see like at grocery stores and such they have bouquets of roses, vases of several different flowers? Well, those are also a good opportunity to get some good shots. Whenever I go to the store and see those arrangements, I kick myself for not bringing my camera. Oh, and florist shops are great too. That is, if you like photographing flowers like me. But, just a thought! Let me know what you guys think, be sure to vote on the side, if you have any questions leave a comment, yeah. Good! All done. Bye!

-Costello

So I want to enter in a contest. That is being held somewhere near where I live. I have 11 photos. (some you may have already seen) I want to lower it down two 2. (5$per photo btw) Please help.

Flower 1

flower 2

flower 3

flower 4

flower 5

flower 6

flower 7

flower 8

flower 9

flower 10

Please vote on the side on your favorite! Thank you!!

Now, For the Post You've All Been Waiting For...

Some of the pictures for my trip! I don't know how many to put up... so I'll just stick with ten, so I won't bore you guys. These are all non-altered photos, though on some I may have reduced the exposure compensation. So, let me know what you think!

  I lied. I put 16 instead of 10. And picture #5 my brother actually took, but I just zoomed in and saved that. And the other ones of the ducks, well.... let me explain. My mom, her friend, her dog, and my dog, went on a walk. We went down to this little place where I had gone fishing earlier with my brother, and I had seen some little fish, so I thought I could catch some to use as bait (fortunately, I couldn't catch any). Well, as I was there, I saw some ducks. These ducks were cool, especially one, my pet duck. I think it's in one of the pictures. But this duck came so close to me (it's probably because it thought I had food, which I didn't), it was just really cool. So, I hope you all enjoyed these. Oh! I almost forgot my tip! Here it is: If you want to be a great photographer, explore places and take pictures of things you're not used to. Take a trip somewhere. Actually, that pretty much says it for itself. Like I went camping, and I saw flowers and things I've never seen before.
  Now, everyone, have fun. Explore the world! But be sure to bring your camera with you.
-Costello