2011-06-29

ISO 800, f/8, 1/60s, 55-200mm lens

My friend, Laura, invited us to go to the zoo with her today.  This was the last day of their yearly membership and she still had some guest passes left.  It was a gorgeous day.  Sunny and not too hot.

The leopard display was finally done being refurbished and the leopard was so close, you could almost touch him.  Except for the glass window separating us, of course.  :)  We had a great time.  More photos to come soon on My Perspective.  But in the meantime, head over to Laura's and see her awesome zoo photos.

I'm picking this one as my favorite photo of the week.  I mean, how often do you get to be this close to a leopard?  :)




Edit on July 6 ... I just saw that Misty picked this photo as one of her Top 5 for the week!  Thanks, Misty!

Week 24 Summary

Another great week!  The kids had VBS all week and Doug was out of town for work, so I had some much-needed time to myself.  For a few days anyway since I helped out at VBS on Thursday and Friday.  Everyone is home today and things are semi-normal.  The kids have been getting along so far today.  Here's hoping it lasts.

This morning I chose to go for a bike ride (instead of a run) on the bike trail.  (It was a little too warm to run by the time I rolled out of bed.)  :)  Nick decided he needed to go with me.  While there, I concluded that I will leave him at home the next time.  :)  He needs to stop way too much.

Anyway, here's my week in pictures ...

12 - Pretty little butterfly on milkweed flowers.  We frequently look for Monarch caterpillars anytime we come across some milkweed.

13 - Nick enjoying a fresh-picked strawberry from our neighbor's greenhouse.

14 - Took the kids fishing at a different lake and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

15 - Random purple flower growing on our hillside.

16 - We finally got some rain and my lilies were very happy.

17 - Gold Rush VBS decoration painted by an incredibly talented lady from our church.

18 - Saw a mama turkey and her two babies on our bike ride this morning.

And if you happen to be stopping by from Inspire Happiness Daily, here's the photo that Tracey chose as one of her top 5 this week ...

It is our first teeny, tiny baby Monarch caterpillar of the year next to a grain of rice to show how small it is (was - he's grown quite considerably since then).  This photo isn't in this week's collage because it is from last Saturday.  My weekly summaries run from Sunday to Saturday.





To answer your question/comment Tracey (and anyone else who is interested), if Monarch butterflies live where you live, they lay their eggs on milkweed because that's what the caterpillars eat.  My kids can spot milkweed from a mile away now, so we stop and inspect them for eggs and/or caterpillars.  If we find one, we pluck the whole leaf and bring it home and place it into our bug box.  We give them a fresh leaf to eat every day or two, depending on how big the caterpillar is and how much they eat.  We also clean the container out every day because all caterpillars do is eat and poop and shed their skin.  :)  (We just wipe it out with a dry paper towel).


Here's the website Glorious-Butterfly to read all about how to raise them.  It is incredibly easy or else we wouldn't do it.  :)  We successfully raised 34 butterflies last summer and would like to raise more than that this summer, which I believe we will do since we started earlier.  It was like an ongoing science experiment for my kids.  They loved it!


Oh and as of today, we have 4 small caterpillars happily munching and 3 eggs awaiting to hatch.  :)  Can't wait to post butterfly photos!


Have a fabulous week!

2011-06-11

ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/250s, 18-55mm lens w/10x macro filter

We found our first teeny tiny baby Monarch caterpillar last evening at the park!  I placed a grain of rice next to him so you can get an idea of just how tiny he is.

For those of you that are new here, we raised 34 Monarch butterflies last summer.  It was like an ongoing science experiment for the kids.  They loved it!  And so did I!  It was fascinating to watch the process.  It is truly amazing how God works.  

I made a photo book out of some of the photos (I took many more that didn't make the book.)  :)  Here's the link in case you are interested in checking it out ...

Monarch Photo Book - Summer 2010

And I realize this is not a prize-winning photo by any means, but it is definitely my favorite photo of the week because of what it represents.

Can't wait until I can show off some Monarch butterfly photos!  Stay tuned!  :)


Tracey at Inspire Happiness Daily chose this as one of her Top 5 photos!  And I said it wasn't a prize-winning photo.  :)  Thanks, Tracey!

Week 22 Summary

Wow!  Now that this summer-like weather has arrived, I'm finding myself spending way less time on the computer and visiting folks in Blogland and lots more time outside enjoying my kids and the sunshine.  Of course, that is a good thing, but it means that I don't always post my photo of the day on time ... or the weekly summary.  Oh well, better late than never.  Here's how this past week looked ...

29 - Playing with glow sticks.

30 - Memorial Day parade.

31 - Playing in the splash pool.

1 - The daisies in my flower bed are blooming.  This photo was picked as a Top 5 this week!

I'm always excited, amazed, and humbled when one of my photos gets picked.  Seriously.  Thank you!
2 - My daughter and her teacher at the 6th grade award ceremony.
3 - Nick and Keira on the last day of school.  (Keira is wearing a shirt with her school's name on it ... which is why I blurred it out.  You understand.)
4 - Okay, so you really need to click on the link to go see the full photo of this beautiful sunset reflecting off the water.  :)  I couldn't fit it all in the collage.  Just sayin'.


Also, just a note for those of you that follow this blog.  
One - I appreciate each and every one of you.  Really, I do.  You make my day with your visits and comments.
Two - I will be discontinuing this blog and will be posting my project 365 photos on my main blog, My Perspective, starting July 1.  I'm a little anal about making a clean break, which is why I'm waiting until a new month.  If you'd like to follow me over there (if you're not already), I'd be delighted to have you.

2011-06-04

ISO 400, f/9.0, 1/1250s, 18-105mm lens

Doug and I took Nick and Alex fishing while Keira spent time swimming with some girlfriends (not in this lake ... at a local pool ... in case you were wondering :)).  The sunset was so pretty, I think I spent more time photographing it than actually fishing.  This is the last photo I took before the sun got hidden by the trees.


I would have to say this is definitely my favorite photo of the week.



This photo was in the Top 5 picks for the week!  Thanks, Misty!

Week 19 Summary

What a week!  Some fun stuff, some not so fun stuff ... but a good week overall.  Let's take a look ...

8 - My first butterfly capture of the year.  Unfortunately the butterfly was being elusive and staying near the top of the lilacs.  Not to worry, there will be plenty more butterfly photos to come as we will be raising Monarchs again this year.

9 - A USAF C-130 plane was flying over the playground when Alex and I stopped by so he could burn off some energy after preschool.  Several cool things about this photo ... 
{one} my friend Jeannie's son was in this plane for ROTC, 
{two} she bought the photo from me (my first photography sale!), 
and {three} this photo was picked as a Top 5 by Inspire Happiness Daily!

That makes 3 weeks in a row one of my photos got picked!  That just blows me away!
10 - My friend, Laura, invited us to join them for a day at the Pittsburgh Zoo. 
11 - Alex and I went for a walk on a local community trail.  When I told him to go get his shoes on, he came back with his cowboy boots on.  I thought the boots looked really cute with his shorts.  :)  And so did all the ladies we passed on the trail.
12 - We finally hit 80 degrees so we broke out the sprinkler.  Honey, our golden retriever, loves it just as much as the kids do.  Maybe more!
13 - A jellyfish from Tuesday's zoo trip.  (Sick day for me - strep throat.  Keira came down with strep throat and missed school Wednesday-Friday - started meds Thursday.  I started to get sick Thursday afternoon/evening.  I started meds yesterday.  Still not feeling great but better than yesterday.)
14 - Nick should have had his photo taken/posted yesterday (the 13th is the anniversary of his birthday), but being sick, well, I forgot.  Or didn't care.  Or both.  :)  So I posted a photo I took of him on Tuesday - a day late.  Obviously I'm extending myself some grace this week.


My niece's birthday party is going on this afternoon.  Alex was mad at me this morning for being sick and telling him that we weren't going to be able to go.  So he decided he was riding his bike there.  In the rain.  He got halfway down the driveway before I made him come back. It was actually pretty funny.  I wish I had taken his picture.  So I called my mom and asked her if she wouldn't mind swinging by and taking the kids with her.  She did and now it is so quiet in the house, I can hear all the clocks ticking.  I'm going to take advantage and spend some time working on a photo book.
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

2011-05-09

ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640s, 18-105mm lens, a couple Shadowhouse Creations textures added

As Alex and I got out of the car to go to the playground today, this US Air Force plane flew overhead.  My husband said he thought it was a C-30, but I can't find that one anywhere online to compare.  Anyone know what plane this is?


EDIT:  A friend of mine told me this is a C-130.  Her son was in the plane for ROTC.  And she wants to buy this photo from me ... my first official photography sale.  How cool is that?!


EDIT #2:  This photo got chosen as a Top 5 by Inspire Happiness Daily!

Week 18 Summary

Wow!  Week 18 already!  Doing these weekly summaries reminds me of how fast time is slipping by.  Here's to making the most of every day!

1 - Erie Zoo has the coolest bird area that you step into.  While in there the birds will land on your shoulder or crawl up your arm.  I loved it!  I could have spent all day in there! 
This photo was picked as a Top 5 this week!  That makes 2 weeks in a row!  I'm truly honored and humbled!

2 - Our sweet Golden Retriever, Honey.  We call her Honeybuns.  :)

3 - Captured some rain drops since it has been soooooooo rainy this spring.
4 - Pennsylvania's state bird, a ruffed grouse.  Click here if you'd like to read the funny story about how I captured this photo.
5 - The 5th of the month brings you Alex, my baby.  Dirty face and all.  :)  (For those of you who don't know, I challenged myself to take a photo of each of my kids on the anniversary of their birthday each month.  They love it and remind me when it is their day!)
6 - The lilacs are beginning to bloom!
7 - Happy {inter}National Scrapbooking Day!  Hoping to actually get some scrapbooking done today.  Although it's not looking good so far.  :)


Looking at my collage, it seems I have lots of green going on this week.  That makes me happy!  I love spring!

2011-05-01

ISO 3200 (forgot to lower it once outside - oops!), f/5.6, 1/400s, D3100 w/18-105mm lens

On Sunday Doug and I visited the Erie Zoo.  It's not nearly as big as the Pittsburgh Zoo where we usually visit, but it had this really cool bird exhibit.  You were inside the big cage with all these parrots.  They landed on us and crawled up our arms.  One crawled all the way up to my shoulder then proceeded to try to eat the zipper of my jacket.  When he wasn't getting any food from it, he squawked in my ear ... a lot.  I loved it!  I could have spent all day in there!  :)

More photos from our mini vacation coming soon on my other blog, My Perspective.  Just gotta get them edited.


This photo was chosen as a Top 5 photo this week!

Week 17 Summary

24 - More flowers from the Botanical Garden at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  I didn't even pick up my camera on Easter, so I cheated on this one.  :)
25 - Baby geese!  They are sort of hidden, but if you look closely, you can see them behind their Mama.  There are 5 of them!  Hoping to get a better photo of them before they move on.
26 - A tiny grape hyacinth that we found in the neighbor's yard.  Cheated on this one also since it was actually taken on the 25th.
27 - It was a beautiful day to go play at the Purple Park.
28 - Another one I cheated on because it was actually taken on the 27th.  My neighbor's have this gorgeous bush in their yard.  Even though I cheated on this one, Inspire Me Photography picked it as one of her top 5 for the week!  Thank you!


29 - A lighthouse on Presque Isle in Erie, where Doug and I got away for the weekend.
30 - We decided to head up to Niagara Falls State Park in New York since we were only 2 hours away.


So that's it for me this week!  I'm late posting this because we didn't get home until yesterday afternoon and then I needed to drive my sister (who watched the kids for us) home about an hour away.  By the time I got home, I was pretty tired.


Oh, and I'll try not to cheat this week.  :)


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Week 16 Summary

17 - Playing with a pinwheel on a windy day.

18 - Gerber daisies that I picked up while grocery shopping.  Ray over at Pulling My Mask Off picked this photo as one of two finalists in her weekly photography contest.  I'd love it if you'd go vote for me.  :)  This week's challenge is "Indoors" if you'd like to participate.

19 - Some mandarin oranges we bought.  The kids love them!  Alex calls them lemontimes (aka clementines).  Audrey at The Daily Wyatt picked this as one of her Top 5 this week.  Thanks Audrey!

20 - The Canine Ambassadors visited preschool.  Alex loved all 3 dogs - two golden retrievers and one scotty dog.
21 - Keira at the Creation Museum.  We left Thursday afternoon for Kentucky, spent all day Friday at the museum, then headed home Saturday.  I'm beat after all that traveling (and lack of sleep) which is why my summary isn't getting posted until today. 
22 - One of the dinosaur exhibits at the Creation Museum.
23 - A suspension bridge we crossed on the way home.

Hope you all had a wonderful week!

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