Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07.06.14

Hello!  I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day!  We got to see fireworks right from our backyard on July 4th, which was good because I didn't feel like going to see the local fireworks and fighting traffic.  :)  Then last night a family in our neighborhood - who hosts a fireworks display every year - hosted their display.  A friend invited us to their house which gave us front row seats.  It was pretty cool!  And we didn't have to fight traffic.  :)  (Knowing that we were going to see fireworks on Saturday night also contributed to my decision to stay home on Friday).  Our poor dog was so scared though.  Both Friday night and Saturday night.  She even followed me into the bathroom once on Friday night - that's how scared she was.  She didn't want to let me out of her sight.

Anyway, here are this week's Scavenger Hunt finds ...

{red}

One of the prompts for the Photo a Day challenge I am participating in was "red + white" so Keira helped me out with it.  She doesn't usually wear red lipstick.  And she's not really this pale.  I lightened her face up a bit in PSE.  I did not, however, do anything to her eyes but sharpen them a bit.  I may be a bit biased, but I think she's gorgeous.  :)

{white}

Okay, so it isn't pure white, but it is whitish.  I was so excited to find a Monarch egg the other day during a walk!  We try to raise Monarch butterflies every summer so I'm hoping this is the first of many butterflies to be joining us this year!

{blue}

I took the boys swimming at a friend's house again this week and took along Doug's little underwater camera.  Lauryn, my friend's daughter, was excited to pose for me under the blue water.  :)

{play}

My kids love to play with glow sticks.  We found these multi-colored ones at the dollar store.  Keira and Alex were sitting by our camp fire during the neighbor's fireworks on Friday night and were waving them around - making their own fireworks.

{sparkle}

We bought a HUGE package of sparklers at Sam's Club this week, so I expect we'll be doing a lot of this with them this summer.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to go visit Ashley, the host of SHS, and say hello!

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 06.29.14

Wow!  The end of June already!  We are mostly all rested up from our vacation and are looking forward to relaxing in July.  Not much planned, which is a nice change.

I want to thank Ashley for an easy list this week.  After last week, it was a much-needed break!

{pink}

Keira on a "bed of roses" ... pink, red, and white.  And, yes, I did go buy roses just so I could make this picture work.  :)  I only used 2 of each color though, so we can enjoy the rest until they die.

{wheels}

I had this idea in my head ... what if we strung glow necklaces through the spokes on our bike wheels and rode them at night?  Fun stuff!

{friends}

I took the boys to a friend's house on Friday so they could swim.  Adam was glad for the company.  He and my boys have been friends for a few years.  I couldn't get them to turn around so I could get their picture together.  In fact, they were hiding from the camera most of the time.  So you get to see the backs of their heads as they swam away from me.  :)

{emotion}

First time in the ocean = happy kids!

{sweet}

I tried a couple berries from our neighbor's mulberry tree.  They weren't as sweet as I expected.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to visit our host, Ashley, to see more great Scavenger Hunt finds!

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07.28.13

Time once again for Scavenger Hunt Sunday ... this time inspired by Ashley's dreams of cooler weather.   :)

{cool colors}

We had fun playing with glow sticks at the drive in the other night and ended up with some cool colors.  This is one of Alex's creations.

{leaves}

A bug was hiding from the rain in the leaves of our little tree.

{iced beverage}

I found a good recipe for a sweet, low calorie treat.  It consists of 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, 1.5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, stevia for some added sweetness, and 4-6 ice cubes.  Blend all together in a blender and you have a refreshing, iced beverage.

{cooling off}

It hasn't been all that hot this week, but that didn't stop Alex from cooling off on the swings while we played at the park.

{raw}

I made the switch from shooting exclusively jpeg ... to jpeg and raw ... to just raw over the past couple years.  What does that have to do with this spiderweb photo?  Nothing really.  Although I did shoot it in raw.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a fabulous week!  

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A Night at the Drive-In Movies

Drive-in movies bring back some great memories for me.  When I was a kid, we had a drive-in nearby and my mom would take us on occasion.  There was really not much else to do in my small town, so the drive in would be hopping on a Friday night.  I can remember stopping at the grocery store to pick up some snacks on the way there.  Cookie Crisp cereal was something we always bought since that was the only time we ever got to eat cereal like that.  :)  Then we would pile in the car and head to the drive in.  We would place the old metal speaker in the window and prepare for an evening of big-screen entertainment.

That drive-in theatre is no longer there but we do still have one in our area.  So, not wanting my kids to miss out on the experience (especially since I've heard rumors that this one is closing for good after this season), we picked up some snacks - including a generic version of Cookie Crisp cereal from Aldi :), brought blankets and pillows, and piled in the car.  The technology is different now as there are no more old metal speakers.  Instead you use your car's radio, tuned in to the station they tell you for that particular screen.  

We got there around 8:30, knowing that we'd have about an hour before the movie actually started.  So we brought a soccer ball, bubbles, and some glow sticks to entertain ourselves.  

The sky wasn't spectacular by the time we got settled, but it was still pretty.

We had lots of fun with the glow sticks.

It was a pretty chilly evening.  Temps didn't even get to 70 degrees yesterday, which was a welcome break from the oppressive heat we've been having.  However, it made for a cold evening at the drive in.  By about half way through the first movie, we had all moved inside the car.  Squeezed in as best we could.  

Alex fell asleep about 3/4 of the way through Turbo.  We woke him up at the end so we could regroup.  I turned the car around facing forward and we all sat in our own seats.  The boys complained a little - being in the back seat and all - but we made it work.  And we were much warmer for Despicable Me 2.

The second movie ended around 1:00 a.m.  I was surprised that everyone was still awake at that point.  However, as soon as we got home, the boys brushed their teeth and headed straight for bed.  Keira and I unwound for a little while and then hit the sack also.  Needless to say, we all slept in this morning.  :)

I'm glad to have gotten the chance to share this experience with the kids.  And who knows?  Maybe we'll get a chance to do it again before the summer is over.

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07.08.12 - Hospital Style

Hello and welcome to another Scavenge Hunt Sunday!  This one is brought to you hospital style.  Alex and I have been here at Children's Hospital since Saturday, June 30, but somehow I managed to get all the prompts this week.  If you are interested in reading about why we are here, check out these posts ...

Deja vu all over again, part 1

Deja vu all over again, part 2

Deja vu all over again, part 3

If not, no biggie ... just keep scrolling for this week's finds.

{patriotic}

If you are going to be stuck in the hospital on July 4th, you may as well get the best view in the house for the fireworks.  This was taken from our hospital room window.  We had an awesome view of the fireworks!

{view from above}

I got a chance to play with night photography after being awakened one early morning with IV machines beeping and beeping.  (That actually happens quite frequently. :))  I couldn't get back to sleep and noticed the full moon setting over the city.  So like the crazy photo fanatic that I am, I played around for a while instead of trying to get back to sleep.  This was the view from our 6th story window.
Disclosure:  I couldn't get the moon and the city lights exposed properly together, so I made a composite with two separate photos.


{mosaic}

The hospital has artwork everywhere.  Very cool artwork.  Including this Stanley Cup made out of paper and beads.


{something tiny}

Doug bought Alex this tiny train with these tiny wheels today at the hospital gift shop.  He's getting a little spoiled with new toys.  But he's been stuck here for eight days and we don't know when we will get to go home, so he should be spoiled.  :)


{vibrant}

During our walk today we passed the Lemieux Sibling Center on the first floor, just down from the gift shop.  This is what the wall looks like on the outside.  Very cool.


Be sure to head over to Sarah's for more great Scavenger Hunt finds.  And if you'd like to play along for next Sunday, here's what to look for:

1. Water
2. Petal
3. Fresh
4. Eight
5. Calm

Have a great week!  Here's hoping we are home for next week's hunt!

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Need some help with exposure

Firstly, I'd love it if you'd hop over to Sarah's and vote for my photo (second one down).  It was picked in the top 4 for June.  Thank you!  But make sure to come back!  :)
~~~~~~~
Around 4:30 this morning we were awakened with IV machines beeping ... and beeping ... and beeping.  Once Alex's nurse got the machines quieted, it was a little hard for me to get back to sleep.  Especially once I noticed how cool the moon looked in all its fullness.  So I broke out my camera.  Only problem was I had no tripod.  But I did have a little red cooler with a flat top, so I balanced it on the window sill and starting playing.  Alex's nurse was in and out a couple times while I was playing and probably thought I was nuts.

I was trying to get a shot of the full moon over the city of Pittsburgh.  But I was having trouble with exposure.  If I kept the shutter open the correct amount of time to have a well-exposed moon with all the details, you could barely see the city lights.  And if I kept the shutter open long enough to see the city lights, I had an over-exposed moon with no detail.

ISO 100, f/11, 5 second shutter speed

I love the city lights in this photo but the moon is just a white glowing blob.  Not good.

So I took a few photos of just the moon ...

ISO 100, f/11, 1/20s

This turned out pretty well considering I was balancing the cooler on the window sill and the camera lens on the lens cap to raise it up a bit.  

Since I didn't end up with the shot I was after, I made a composite ...

What do you think?

What I need are tips on how to expose something like this so I can get the bright city lights and a well-exposed moon.  Or isn't that possible?  I know people use black foam board and stuff to partially expose parts of their frame, but I don't have anything like that here in our little hospital room.  And I'm not sure my brain would have worked that well at 5 a.m. anyway.  I have my tripod now so I might be able to play more.  Except that I am completely exhausted and would love about 18 hours of uninterrupted sleep.   I know that's not possible in a hospital though.

So I doubt I'll play again while we are here.  Except to photograph the fireworks tomorrow night.  I'm told we will have a pretty good view of the fireworks display.  One of the doctors said we should sell tickets to our room.  :)  I hope Alex feels well enough to enjoy them with me!

                

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Week 9 in Pictures

Another week under my belt.  Some days I wonder what I was thinking deciding to do a THIRD year of Project 365.  I'm hoping that once spring arrives and the flowers start blooming, my inspiration will return.

A quick kitchen update ... the appliances were delivered on Friday morning.  They are currently sitting in boxes in my kitchen as we are still waiting for the cabinets to come in.  They should be in soon.  I hope!  :)

Now on to last week's photos ...

{Sunday}

My first attempt at photographing a starry sky.  I really didn't know what I was doing.  I just focused to infinity and hoped for the best since I couldn't really see anything through the viewfinder.  I managed to get the moon in this shot ... and the streak through the middle is a jet passing through.  And I think that is the Little Dipper in the top left corner.

{Monday}

My friend, Laura, and I went to the zoo (sans any kids) to stalk the gorillas in the hopes that we'd catch a glimpse of the new baby.  You can see we were successful.  Isn't he adorable?!  And his mama, Moka, is such a good mother.  So loving and gentle.  A sweet soul. We're so glad we went!

{Tuesday}

This was one of those days I was lacking inspiration.  Maybe because I had taken over 500 pictures at the zoo the day before.  :)  Anyway, this is Honey eating some Kale.  She's a very strange dog sometimes.

{Wednesday}

Nick's class hosted a Dr. Seuss Reading Cafe at school.  The kids each had their jobs.  Nick's job was a waiter.  He took my order (ie. asked me which book I'd like read) and then proceeded to fetch the book and read it to me.  He also helped himself to my drink and snacks, which was okay because I wasn't going to have them anyway.  :)

{Thursday}

Several local stores are selling these primrose flowers for a dollar.  I couldn't resist buying these pretty purple and yellow ones for some much-needed inspiration.  And I thought this would make a good photo for the color palette so I can finally participate in Rosie's Color Me Weekly link up.

     

{Friday}

The appliances got delivered early enough that Alex and I had time to head up to our church so I could run and he could ride his bike before school.  After I was done exercising and before we left for home he asked me to take his picture up in this tree.  Since he's typically running away from the camera these days, I gladly obliged.

{Saturday}

I have to admit, I'm cheating on this one.  It was taken on Friday as well.  But the only pictures I took on Saturday were of Alex at soccer and the lighting in the gym where he plays is horrendous.  Anyway, Keira and I were able to have a little girl time before her dentist appointment, so of course, we went to a local park to take pictures.  What else would we do?  :)

So that was my week.  I also started reading another good novel called A Constant Heart.  In case you didn't know, I'm giving away a copy of The Guardian Duke.  It is a really great book that I recently read in two days because I just couldn't put it down.  If you'd like to find out more about it and have a chance to win a copy for yourself, just click here.

Be sure to stop back on Wednesday to link up with Wild & Wonderful Wednesday.
Have a fabulous week!  

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