Scavenger Hunt Sunday 02.02.14

Hello!  And welcome to another Scavenger Hunt Sunday!  Which also happens to be Groundhog Day.  I'm posting this on Saturday night, so I have yet to see what the rodent predicts as far as the duration of winter.  But I don't pay much attention to him anyway.  It's going to do what it's going to do.  No matter what Phil says.  :)

But enough of my ramblings.  You're here to see my Scavenger Hunt photos.  Ashley used my list this week, so I had to be sure to participate.  Don't want to miss my own party!  :)

{beverage}

Alex was enjoying a mug of hot white chocolate.  My sister-in-law sent it to us for Christmas.  Alex loves it the most.

{snuggle}

Alex loves to snuggle.  I will miss the days when he no longer wants to snuggle with his mama, so I take advantage of the time now.

{thick}

I used a recipe for a thick bubble solution in order to try our frozen bubble science experiment this week during our well-below zero temperatures.  How's that for a sentence?  :)  If you want to check them out, there are more frozen bubble photos here.

{behind the lens}

 Naturally I am usually behind the lens.  That is where I am most comfortable.  But every once in a while I hand the camera over to Keira so I can be in a shot or two.  Like this one where I'm showing off the painting I did at a class Friday afternoon.  It's not perfect, but not too bad for my first-ever acrylic painting.

{where were you?}

Last Sunday afternoon I sat outside at our picnic table for about an hour capturing close up photos of snowflakes with my macro lens.  It was very cold but I was determined.  And my determination paid off because I got some incredible shots.  Snowflakes are truly amazing.  More snowflake photos here.

Thanks for stopping by!  I will do my best to return the visit.  I'm on call for a birth photo session the next few days, so things are really up in the air, which I'm not used to.  I like things scheduled.  I'm excited for the opportunity though.  I can't wait to share them with you!  Provided I do a good job.  :)

Make it a great week!

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This is me

Being a photographer, I am much more comfortable behind the camera, as I'm sure many of you can relate.  So even though I asked Keira to take some pictures of me (after I had taken some of her) while the snow was falling today, I still didn't know what to do with that camera pointed at me.  When that happens, I tend to get silly.  That's not a bad thing, I suppose.

The results should make you chuckle.  They did me.

This was totally meant to make fun of some poses I have seen online.  If you pose the girls you shoot like this and can pull it off, I applaud you.  This forty-something mom of three can't quite do it.  :)

But then that became this ...

Which then became this...

Which then turned into jazz hands, something we do around here to lighten things up when things get awkward.  :)

We did manage to get a couple where I wasn't being a total goofball though.  I even used one (not pictured here) as my profile picture on my Facebook page ... Kimberly Vensel Photography.  I'd love it if you'd go check it out and 'like' my page while you are there!  ;)

And then we went inside for hot cocoa because we were frozen.  And our hair was soaking wet.  Photo shoots in the snow need to be quick!  
My feet are still cold!  :)

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17 years and counting

Yesterday, November 9, my husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  We've been together for 24 years and married for 17.  As with any married couple, we have had our ups and downs.  But we have determined to stand strong and work through any difficulty that comes our way.

Doug had planned to bring me breakfast in bed, but I foiled those plans when I got up too soon.  :)  So even though French toast isn't a normal breakfast item for me (I drink a smoothie for breakfast almost every day), I enjoyed a yummy breakfast courtesy of my sweet husband.

We had a mostly quiet day at home and then went to my favorite restaurant for dinner.  Before we left I asked Keira to take a few pictures of us.  You don't see Doug in clothes other than his work clothes too often.  :)

Now if I could just get him to smile for pictures, at least a little.  :)

It was a great day!  We look forward to spending another 17+ years together.

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 06.16.13

Happy Father's Day!  I hope all you dads have a wonderful day!

This week was another busy one - prepping for VBS which starts tomorrow.  I'm nearly done ... just a few last minute things.  We're hoping for a great week!

Despite the busyness, we did manage to squeeze in a little fun this week.  And I also somehow managed to get all my Scavenger Hunt prompts.  One or two might be loosely interpreted.  :)

{summer}

We are trying to have lots of fun this summer so we created a bucket list of ideas.  One of those ideas was to visit the zoo, which we did on Saturday.  We enjoyed watching the sea otter swim around in his tank.

{dance}

At the zoo I spent a few minutes watching the jellyfish dance under the different colored lights. 

{laughter}

I gave the boys their summer haircuts the other day.  Afterward they decided to wrestle.  They were having a lot of fun and I really enjoyed hearing their laughter.

{helper}

Alex was being a great helper by peeling the corn on the cob for me.

{water}

The kids and I went to Presque Isle, Erie, on Sunday.  (Doug was supposed to come too but he hurt his back and couldn't travel.  So, to not disappoint the kids, I took them.  Which is way outside my comfort zone.  I'm glad we went though.  We had fun.)  Anyway, Keira took this photo of me by the water.  Proof that I was there.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

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Simple Things - Anniversary

Doug and I were all dressed up - on our way out the door to have dinner for our 16th wedding anniversary, which was on Friday - so I handed the camera to Keira to take a few photos of us.

Keira did pretty well.  Now if I could just teach Doug to enjoy getting his photo taken.  And possibly even smile.  :)

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Photos by Keira

Keira is taking on online photography class this month with Candice Stringham through jessicasprague.com.  It is a photography class for kids that I thought would keep her occupied, entertained, and challenged in something different this last month before school starts.  She is only four days in and is loving the class.  

She is using my old Nikon D40 since we our old point and shoot got broken by the other future photographer of the household.  {ahem}  :)  Of course, that means I need to share my lenses with her, which, so far has worked out okay.

I've had fun looking through her photos each day so I thought I'd share a few with you.  (She took the photos and I edited them, most with minimal editing.)

We went to a local Farm Show (aka fair) on Monday afternoon/evening where she took this.

Tuesday evening we went to a park where the boys played in the creek for a while and Keira and I played photographers.  I took this picture of her in action ...

while she was taking this picture.

She was using my 55-200mm lens.  I love how the flip flops got kicked off so she could concentrate on the task at hand.  :)

Wednesday we went to a local lake where she had lots of fun photographing different things like the sparkly water ...

After she took this one she was so excited.  She said, "Mom, look!  I got bokeh!  Oh, yeah!"

I was impressed by this shot.

And this one.

She's really just learned the basics from the class.  How to hold the camera properly, holding the camera level, the different modes on most cameras, vertical vs. horizontal, filling the frame (close vs. far), focusing, and eliminating distractions.

Oh, and did I mention that she's shooting in manual mode (with a little help from me, of course)?  Oh, yeah!  That's my girl!  Truly, she is probably already way more advanced than what she's learning so far, but since I love Jessica Sprague's classes, and this one was inexpensive and fun, I asked her if she'd like to take it.  Plus, did you know that once you take a class on her site, you can access it forever?!  So if Keira needs a refresher, she can just log in, find the class under My Classes, and read as much or as little as she wants.

Okay, this was not intended to be a commercial for Jessica Sprague, but I do love all the classes I've taken so far.  :)  I have a couple more of her classes to take but haven't taken the time to do yet.  Just one more thing to add to my list once the kids go back to school.  :)  That list is getting pretty long!

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Week 5 in Pictures

I felt a little off my game this past week.  Looking forward to winter being over (even though we have had a very mild winter but it has been so gray and rainy).  We had a little taste of Spring this week with temps in the 60s, which is very rare for winter in Pennsylvania.  We took full advantage of the nice weather by playing outside as much as we could.  But it makes having to deal with February all that much harder.  I'm still waiting for winter to return as the Farmers' Almanac and that silly groundhog both predict.  :)

On a happier note, we ordered our cabinets and counter top this week for the Great Kitchen Remodel.  Yay!  I really can't wait until it is all done.  Right now almost nothing is where it should be and tasks that were once very simple, like making dinner, are much more complicated.  Doug is supposed to have some time off this week, so hopefully he'll make great progress on the ceiling, walls, and floor.  (I always say "supposed to" because just because he is scheduled off, doesn't always mean that he actually gets the days off).  The kitchen won't be finished until probably April because the counter top fabricators can't measure for the counter tops until the cabinets are installed, which won't be until late March (per our request so Doug has time to do what he needs to do).


Right now the kitchen is nearly completely gutted.  All of the upper cabinets are down, the ceiling is ripped out, most of the walls are ripped out, and the floor is down to the bare wood except for what is under the counter where the sink is located.  That will be coming up this week also, I'm sure.  I might have to wash dishes in the bathtub this week.  :)  On a positive note, I now have more electrical outlets in the kitchen than I ever have before.

Anyway, here's what our week looked like in pictures ...

{Sunday}

Okay, so if you saw last week's Scavenger Hunt, you already saw this picture.  Apparently I didn't take any pics other than the one I needed to finish up the Hunt.  :)

{Monday}

Getting ready for the 100th day of school on Friday.  The kids were to bring in 100 of something for snack and 100 objects displayed however they liked.  Alex chose Honey Nut Cheerios and pennies.

{Tuesday - Weary for Project 366 Rewind}

Tuesday mornings are the one day I always have to get up early (for Bible study, which I love).  Usually early enough to see the sun rise, which, for some of you, probably isn't really that early.  :)  But despite being half asleep (aka weary), I still managed to get a shot of the gorgeous colors of the morning.

{Wednesday}

Alex and I were showing off our muscles and incredibly long legs in shadow form.  :)

{Thursday - Love for Inspire Me's Project 365}

Cell phone photo - a day when I didn't pick up my camera.  Alex lovin' on his mama.  :)

{Friday}

A rare photo of me.  Keira actually took this photo.  We were playing around while the sun was still out.  She's still learning how to shoot in manual.  While this one isn't too bad, there were many photos that didn't make the cut.  :)  Of course, the same can be said of the many photos I take.

{Saturday}

Kim Klassen's Zuzu texture used
Remember last week when I told you I would show you what Doug found in the ceiling of our kitchen?  Well, here it is.  An empty wine bottle from 1948-49 (that's the date on the sticker).  I wasn't about to open it up to clean it out, but I did dust off the outside.  I'd love to know the story behind how it got there.  On the other hand, it might explain a lot about the poor way our house was built.  :)

Hope everyone has a great week!  Go take pictures!

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Photo of the Day: December 10

I'm curly again!  :)

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Photo of the Day: August 14

Photo taken by Keira on Program Mode - SOOC except for sharpening

Since I'm bummed today after breaking my camera, I thought I'd post a photo from our trip to Idlewild on Thursday that makes me smile.  We were waiting for the boys to finish riding the airplane ride in the little kid section of the park, so I handed my camera to Keira to take a photo or two.  She took several, much to Doug's dismay, and we had fun while she did.

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Week 30 Summary

Another week has flown by again!  Wow!  Where is the summer going?!  As busy as July has been, I think August might be even busier.  Trying to squeeze a few more fun summer things in before school starts at the end of the month.  Thankfully I like fun things.  :)

Anyway, you are here to see my week in photos.  I'm still beat from yesterday's family picnic so I'm being lazy and instead of creating my usual collage, I'm just posting the individual photos.  Hope you don't mind.  :)

{july 24}

My gladiolus flowers are blooming.

{july 25}

I had seen the spider web outside our living room window and was waiting for the right moment to photograph it.  After a good rain, it was finally time.
Tracey chose this as one of her Top 5 favorite photos for the week!  Thanks again, Tracey!!!  And I'm choosing this one as my favorite photo of the week.
     

{july 26}

Nick trying not to smile for the camera.

{july 27}

The kids worked and worked at trying to catch frogs while at a local playground that also has a pond nearby.  Nick succeeded in catching this little guy.  Don't worry, he put it right back.  :)

{july 28}

Keira was playing with my camera and made this shot of our dog, Honey.

{july 29}

We have been visited almost every day by these two sweet fawns and their mama.  They love eating the mulberries and pears that have fallen from the neighbor's trees.

{july 30}

Family picnic day!  The kids had a blast swimming with their extended family.  Nicholas especially loved the fact that his cousin, Kyle, could throw him high in the air.  Way higher than I ever could.


We are just chillin' this afternoon ... preparing for a church social this evening to bid goodbye to our Children's Ministry Directors who have been called to another church.  Then we have some fun stuff planned for the week and another picnic next Saturday.  Then more fun stuff planned for next week.  And the week after that.  And the week after that.  Whew!  I will probably have to nap every afternoon in September just to get rested up from all this fun!  :)


Linking up with ...

     
Looking forward to seeing how your week has gone.  Have a wonderful week everyone!!!

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