Weekly Summary ~ 12/28/14 - 01/03/15

Happy New Year!

Thus ends another week.  And another year!  They do seem to fly by as I get older.

Here's what last week looked like ...

{December 28:  Book}

My kids love to sit and look at a scrapbook from time to time. Usually they look at their own books, but occasionally they will pull out one of their siblings' books so they can snicker and giggle over the photos inside.   :)

{December 29:  I need less of this ...}

I need less gray, cloudy skies and I need more sunshine!!!!!

{December 30:  Us}

Our most recent photo ... A friend took this photo of us (with my camera) on Christmas Eve. The wise man pointing at Doug's ear cracks me up. I should edit it out, but it makes me chuckle.

{December 31:  My best bit of 2014}

It is so hard to narrow down 2014 to just one photo! I don't wish to minimize any people / places / accomplishments from this past year. But since 2014 was my best year to date in raising Monarch butterflies, I chose this photo. This was one of the last butterflies to leave my care. I successfully raised and released 172 Monarch butterflies in 2014. That just blows me away! My best year prior to this was 2010 when I raised 34. I'm excited to see what 2015 brings!

{January 1:  Sky}

The sky at dusk - the view from our deck.

{January 2:  Something yellow}

Cute, little Woodstock who hangs on our Christmas tree. He'll probably get put away tomorrow.

{January 3:  Me today}

Alex and I went on a date to the movies this afternoon. I had intended to take our picture together there but forgot all about it, so this was taken shortly after we got home. (phone pic)

I'm still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge.  I wasn't sure I would continue in the new year, but I really enjoy it, so I'm sticking with it for now.  Maybe I will complete a full year (I started in April 2014) and then call it quits. Then again, maybe not.  :)

Not much happened here last week, which was great!  Lots of relaxing, watching movies, doing nothing.  I did leave the house a couple times just to get out of the house.  Moms need to do that sometimes.  :)  I picked up a new pair of sneakers for Nick who seems to go through shoes like crazy these days.  We had our New Year's Eve party at church.  Just food and a movie, but it was fun.  Got home in plenty of time to watch the ball drop on TV.  On Friday I took Nick to Chris's house for a sleepover.  He is like one of the family there.  Then Alex talked me into getting Subway for dinner.  Saturday Alex and I went to see Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.  It was pretty good.  And we watched our Steelers lose to he Baltimore Ravens in the wild card playoff game Saturday night.  Boo!  

That was pretty much it!  Everyone is back to school today.  It snowed overnight (just a coating) and is really windy today.  But the sun is shining now, so all is good.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Linking with Tamar:

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Our Week in Review 2014 ~ 12/14-12/20

Last week started out with my birthday.  On Sunday I turned 29.  Again.  The rest of the week pretty much consisted of me helping make candy to give out to our church family.  It was a lot of work but it was fun.  We managed to get it all finished up and boxed on Saturday morning.  Just in time to hand out on Sunday morning.  Whew!

Tuesday we had a Christmas party at Bible study.  I had to leave right after I got there to deliver Keira some ibuprofen for her headache.  She ended up asking me if she could just go home because she felt so bad.  Migraines stink.  So I took her home and got back to the party in time to make a pretty ornament craft.

Wednesday night at church we had our kids' Christmas party.  We sang Christmas songs, listened to Pastor tell a story, had pizza and veggies, and played a gift exchange game.  It was fun.  Mostly.  :)  We are on a break now until 2015.
Our Youth Pastor left on Saturday.  He got a job offer at another church and decided to take it.  The kids are bummed.  They all really liked him and his wife and kids.

Now that things are slow on the business front, I have been enjoying some down time.  I discovered the show New Girl on Netflix.  It is really hard to just watch one episode at a time.  I find myself staying up way too late watching just one more.  :)  I don't really watch TV so I don't even know if that show is still on.

During Christmas break I plan to do some learning.  I bought a couple classes on Creative Live that I really enjoyed when they were broadcast - but I missed parts of them - so I will be watching them again.  I also want to learn more about lighting and camera flashes.

Anyway, here are the photos for last week's prompts from Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge ..

{December 14:  Drink}

Since I am celebrating yet another anniversary of my 29th birthday today  I figured I'd better incorporate a photo of myself in today's prompt. So here I am.  Drinking a nice cup of hot cocoa after tucking the boys into bed. I'll probably be up all night now, but oh well.  

We had a really nice day today. After church this morning, we went to the science center where there were a bunch of train displays set up. My youngest LOVES trains. Then we went to the botanical garden because that's what I wanted to do. Lastly we stopped and picked up dinner because you shouldn't have to cook on your birthday, right?  Keira wasn't feeling well so she stayed home to rest.  :(

P.S. I hate selfies!

{December 15: Super!}

There were some super-sized Christmas lights on display last night at Phipps. If I could have gotten one of my boys to pose by them, you would have a better idea of their super size. But, alas, they would not cooperate.

{December 16: Beautiful}

I may be biased but I think my girl is beautiful. Inside and out.

(Archive photo as she's still not feeling well today.) 

{December 17: Sunshine}

This is the closest thing to sunshine that we've seen here in about a week. A Dale Chihuly chandelier in the Desert Room at Phipps Conservatory. Oh, how I miss the sun. I hope it makes an appearance again very soon!

{December 18: Sign}

This sign was on the bathroom stall of the science center. It made me chuckle. 

(Archive photo as I was making candy all day and didn't get to take the photo that I had in mind.)

{December 19: Something to be happy about}

Monarchs make me happy. Planning my butterfly garden for next summer makes me happy. Thinking about all the butterflies I will raise makes me happy.

This is obviously an archive photo. Now that business has slowed down I am able to get caught up on editing personal photos so I'm slowly working my way through - starting with my gazillion Monarch photos.  :)

{December 20: Food}

Chocolate - the 5th food group. 

So that was my week.  We are gearing up to celebrate Christmas on Thursday.  The kids have school tomorrow and then they are off until January 5.  I hope to have a nice, quiet, relaxing break.  A girl can dream, right?  :)

Have a great week!  And a very Merry Christmas!  
And Happy Hanukkah to our lovely host, Tamar!

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Our 37th Week ~ 2014

Had another great week!  We are getting into our routine now that the kids are back to school.  Wednesday night classes have started back up at church and are going well.  Had a couple more photo sessions, spent time with friends, went to open house at the boys' school, and celebrated Keira's birthday.  She's 16 now!  

This week is pretty much the same.  Except the kids have a day off of school on Friday.  I was hoping to go have some fun with them, but both boys are grounded right now.  {sigh}  It is tough being a mean mom.  :)

As always, I am still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge with Keira being my subject this month.  She is also helping with the photo ideas.  So this is what we came up with last week ...

{September 14: Healthy}

Keira wasn't feeling all that healthy again today ... still fighting a cold ... so she stayed home and worked on her butterfly collage all day. It is due tomorrow, after all. Apparently she works better under pressure. I wouldn't know where she gets that trait from.  :)

{September 15: Remember}

In order to remember what she looked like when she was little, Keira occasionally pulls out her scrapbooks. This is one of my favorite spreads. She was about a year old in these photos.

{September 16: I don't like}

Keira doesn't like emptying the dishwasher. It is one of her chores that she tends to put off. Which ended up being a good thing today because she hadn't emptied it yet until after I got home from a photo shoot tonight and I got to take this picture of her in action.

{September 17: Key}

Keira was serenading me this afternoon with Lindsey Stirling's Master of Tides in the key of G. 

{September 18: Person}

Keira is such a sweet, fun, joyful, and kind-hearted person. I really enjoy being in her company! 

{September 19: Even}

Only two more days! (Two is an even number).  :)

{September 20: Beginning}

We celebrated Keira's 16th birthday today!  This is what Keira's cake looked like at the beginning of her party. It didn't look nearly as pretty by the end.  :)  It tasted pretty darn good though!

So that's it from my neck of the woods!  Hope you have a fabulous week!

Linking with Tamar.

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Our 36th Week ~ 2014

How it is that we are a week into September already?!  We are settling into our routines now that the kids are back to school.  I'm still editing my eyeballs out.  I have been so blessed lately with photo sessions, but oh the editing!  It doesn't look like things will slow down much either.  That is both good and bad, as you can imagine.

I am still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge on Facebook.  For September I decided it would be fun to include my daughter, Keira, in each photo in honor of her 16th birthday (gasp!) on September 21.  So here are last week's pics ...

{August 31: 10am}

Today at 10am I was watching this beautiful lady emerge from her chrysalis while I was getting ready for church. A few hours later when I released her, she was more than ready to fly but was gracious enough to allow me to take a couple photos first.  After releasing the 5 females that emerged today, we have successfully raised and released 125 Monarch butterflies so far this summer! With still more to go.

And that concludes August's Photo a Day challenge!

{September 1: In my cup}

Hey, how did she get in there?!  :)

(I wish the background were nicer but I've been messing with this idea long enough and this will have to do. Too much work awaiting me.)

{September 2: Stripes}

Vertical and horizontal. (I didn't ask her to wear stripes today. She did that all on her own.)

{September 3: Button}

After a long and tiring day, both Keira and I were pretty uninspired with today's prompt. So this is all you get. Her with her Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, who both have buttons on their outfits. They were given to her by a sweet older lady who had "adopted" Keira as her granddaughter. 

{September 4: DIY}

Keira is taking a photography/graphics arts class this year (which I love) and her first project is to create a photo collage. She decided to make a Monarch butterfly. She is just in the beginning stages - we have one part of a wing cut out with the Silhouette machine and a couple pictures printed to check the sizes. I can't wait to see the finished project!

{September 5: Upside down}

You knew I would have to fit a Monarch photo in this month somehow, right? These two caterpillars were hanging upside down in the J forms getting ready to pupate. Keira was checking them out for me. 

{September 6: I need ... }

Keira says, "I need these boys to get out of my room and leave me alone! Mooooooooooom!"

Well, that's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by!  

Linking with Tamar:

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Our 33rd Week ~ 2014

This is going to be quick.  I have LOADS of editing to do.  Especially after having my computer go flaky on me Sunday morning.  I was able to have a friend fix it and I am back in business, but not having it for almost two whole days has put me even further behind than I already was.  :)  I have to admit that I am looking forward to the kids going back to school soon.  That way I won't have so many interruptions and distractions throughout the day.

Just a reminder - I am still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge.  I really enjoy having a prompt every day to try to interpret.  Here are last week's photos ...

{August 10: Art}

The best art is made by the Creator's hands, not human hands.

I got to stop and visit my love, Slick, this evening. (Our neighbor's baby horse.) He's getting so big. He even came up to see me and let me feed and pet him, which absolutely made my day. He still has a blaze in the shape of an F on his face. All natural artwork.

{August 11: Mirror}

When I was cleaning out one of my containers of Monarch caterpillars and giving them fresh food, I found these two snuggled up together on a stem. Looking like a mirror image.  (I think I shared this one before - maybe for Scavenger Hunt Sunday - but it fit this prompt and I hadn't shared it there yet).  :)

{August 12: Gather}

Had to head out today to gather some leaves for my hungry caterpillars. These big guys can really eat! 

We released two more butterflies today - both males. Still have LOTS of caterpillars, as you can see. Believe it or not, this is just a small sampling.

{August 13: Inside}

I love seeing the butterfly inside its chrysalis just before it emerges. Today we had two beauties joining us. Happy day!

Did you know that the chrysalides are actually clear and what you see is the caterpillar (then butterfly) inside? There have always been questions about the gold dots on the chrysalides. While they are still a mystery, I can tell you that they remain there after the butterflies emerge.

{August 14: Give}

My friend, Reva, who also happens to be a relative, shared a photo of a ducky night light on her page last week. I instantly fell in love (yes, I am 5 years old :) ) and asked her if she would buy one for me and I would gladly pay her back. Instead she graciously offered to give one to me. It arrived yesterday from sunny Florida. Isn't it the cutest?  :)

{August 15: Clouds}

Saw these lovely clouds the other evening while walking around our neighbor's property.

{August 16: Clean}

I was totally drawing a blank on this one until I stopped to fill the car up with gas and saw the car wash. So this is my $4 photo for the photo-a-day prompt. Hey, my car needed cleaned anyway.  :)

Linking with Tamar:

Have a great week!  I will be editing my eyeballs out!  And prepping for another wedding on Saturday!

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Our 31st & 32nd Weeks ~ 2014

Brace yourself for two weeks worth of photos since I totally missed last week.  We had such a fun and busy week that blogging just didn't happen.  :)  

Still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge ... and thoroughly enjoying it!  For July I challenged myself to not only photograph something for the prompt, but I included at least one family member in each of my photos.  Even if it was just fingers or toes.  For August I'm back to just interpreting the prompt.

{July 27 - Ten}

Ten Monarch chrysalides ready to be moved to a different enclosure. I had too many containers taking up too much space on my counter, so Keira helped me get these ones moved to a cage that Doug helped me make. They are now hanging from a branch inside the cage. Can't wait for butterflies! 

{July 28 - Cool}

July 28 Photo a Day: Cool. I think it is really cool that we are raising Monarchs again this summer. I also think it is cool that I found this big guy this morning along with 4 eggs.

{July 29 - Repeat}

July 29 Photo a Day: Repeat. Lather ... rinse ... repeat if necessary. Does anyone actually repeat?  :)

{July 30 - Lost}

July 30 Photo a Day: Lost. We may have lost a caterpillar, but we gained a butterfly. (Yeah, it is a stretch, but I needed to show off the beautiful lady that joined us today! We kept her overnight due to chilly temps and torrential downpours.)

{July 31 - Rise}

July 31 Photo a Day: Rise.

A butterfly hovers closely

And then quickly moves away,

Swiftly going wheresoever

Her heart may freely say.

A butterfly lowers and *rises*

With the wind’s gusty breath,

As if coupled within a dance

Of a loving tenderness.

The butterfly only knows

How it feels to have wings,

To kiss the petals of flowers

In such elegant flitterings.

To have but one moment

Of such an exquisite flight,

Would be like a dream

Where all seems so right.

{Author Unknown}

We set our first girl free this morning. She sat on my finger for a few minutes, taking it all in, pondering what to do. We walked up to the garden in our back yard where she took flight and I cheered her on with tears in my eyes. This is always the hardest part about raising Monarchs - letting them go to live their lives. But I thought - how cool it would be if I am able to raise some of her babies? I'll never know, of course, but still.  :)

And that concludes the month of July.

{August 1 - Landscape}

The view I see when I walk out my front door in the evenings. I just love our neighbors' mulberry tree. I think it has so much character.

{August 2 - Lunch}

Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed for lunch ... and breakfast ... and dinner.  :)

{August 3 - "S" is for ... }

"S" is for ... sharing. This swallowtail butterfly and these bees seemed to be sharing this milk thistle pretty well.

{August 4 - In the middle}

In the middle of these Monarch butterflies is a gorgeous female. 

{August 5 - Pile}

We decided to pile in the car and spend the day at Idlewild. We had a blast! We took a pile of "ride selfies" with Doug's little pocket camera. This one of myself and Nick on the Tilt-a-Whirl (one of the few rides he will ride) was among them.

{August 6 - Grateful for}

I am grateful for many things. My savior Jesus, my family, my friends, my health, etc. But as far as what I have taken pictures of today :) I am thankful for this handsome fellow. He is one of five Monarch butterflies I was able to release today. Four males and one female. Today's count: 18 butterflies, 18 in chrysalis, 102 caterpillars in various stages, and 9 eggs. What a summer!

{August 7 - Spot}

Monarch butterflies have many spots on their bodies. Which is interesting to me since the caterpillar is striped.

{August 8 - Pet peeve}

While Pennsylvania has many strengths - rolling hills, beautiful farms, the opportunity to enjoy all four seasons (sometimes all in one week :) ) - it is a pet peeve of mine that it is difficult to find a good spot to take silhouette photos. We are surrounded by trees and almost always the trees end up as part of the silhouette. Even when laying on the ground with the camera.   (This photo was actually take on Thursday at the small family wedding I had the honor of photographing.)

{August 9 - Mix}

Such a mix of emotions on your wedding day. Excitement, anxiety, anticipation, nervousness. Even with all that, this bride handled everything so well. She was such a pleasure to work with. I wish her and her new husband all the best!  (From Saturday's wedding.  It was a long, tiring day but we had a blast!)

Just a quick recap of the last two weeks (more for me than for you :)) ...

Hung out with an artist friend and learned some graphic design

Shopped with another friend

Visited a new-to-us state park about an hour's drive away with the kids.  We plan to go back when we have more time.

Went to a play with Keira - A Midsummer Night's Dream.  It was an outside, moving play where we had to move from location to location to watch each act.  LOVED IT!  My friend, Rainey, was part of the production.  We honestly didn't understand most of it but we got the basic concept of the story.  And it was funny!  I really hope that production group does more of that type of play!

Had a family date to our local semi-pro baseball team's game.  They lost but it was still a lot of fun.  Wishing we had gone sooner in the season, because we are already talking about going next year.  Several times.

Spent the day at Idlewild.  FUN!

Had another family date at our local farm show.  (So much family togetherness this week!)

Then started my busy photography schedule - which is why we crammed in so much fun earlier in the week.  

Thursday - wedding at a local lake.

Friday - 50th anniversary party for a wonderful couple.

Saturday - wedding at a park; reception at a banquet hall.  Long, tiring but fun day!

If you made it this far, kudos to you!  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

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