Weekly Summary ~ 7/5/15 - 7/11/15

Spent the week prepping for a Monarch presentation on Saturday.  I presented to the Christian Women's Artistic Connection group and a few guests.  They are a great group of ladies that get together every couple months to learn a new art.  Monarchs aren't art, but the ladies wanted to learn about them, so they asked me to present.  And we made a few greeting cards that I designed.  Nothing fancy.  

Did okay keeping up with my photo a day challenge.  I used a couple recent archive photos this week.  It happens.  :)

{July 5: Begins with "W"}

Wet. 

And soggy. 

And gross. 

Those are the words you can use to describe our month of June. So. much. rain! 16 out of the 30 days in June had measurable rain and I suspect there were a few sprinkles thrown in there during those other 14 days. Now that July is here the weather seems to be shaping up some. Still some rain but this weekend was super nice! We actually had several nice days in a row. Yay!

Anyway this photo was taken a couple weeks ago right after we had a heavy rainfall. The sun came out and made everything sparkle. And since I needed to take advantage of the little sunshine we were getting, I walked around outside with my camera. Our tiger lilies were blooming and looked so pretty glistening in the sun.

{July 6: Rule of Thirds}

This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots of the day! WOOT!

{July 7: Vanishing Point}

When the sun is dipping below the horizon - nearly at its vanishing point - marking the end of another day. Hope to see it again tomorrow!

{July 8: Bedtime}

Keira obviously stayed up past her bedtime. Or else that was a very uninteresting book. Maybe a little of both.  :)

{July 9: Alphaphotography}

You know I had to figure out a way to include one of my Monarch caterpillars into a prompt somehow, right? Don't ask how many tries it took to get him to stay in the shape of a C for me.  :)

{July 10: Just Another Day}

Just another day of searching milkweed looking for Monarch eggs and/or caterpillars and finding none. frown emoticon I did see lots of blossoms though and several other butterflies, moths, and skippers. I will search again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that.

{July 11: Technology}

Thanks to technology, I was able to photograph and instantly share the photo of this super cool-looking caterpillar I found this evening. Ah, smart phones.  :)

It is a Promethea Moth caterpillar. The first I have ever found.

Linking with Tamar:

On Monday I met with Sherry to discuss the details of my Monarch presentation.  We met at Panera and were able to sit outside - it was so nice!
I had a couple things rescheduled due to weather and emergencies.  A family photo session was supposed to happen on Tuesday morning but the rain interfered once again.  And on Thursday I was to meet with my friend, Sharon, about the upcoming wedding she was helping me photograph, but she needed to make an emergency trip to the vet
Saturday I did my Monarch presentation to the CWAC ladies.  I was a little nervous because I was so used to talking to kids about Monarchs.  But I told them they were my guinea pigs for an upcoming talk to a garden club.  :)  Everything went very well and they all enjoyed my presentation.
Saturday afternoon I stopped by a graduation party of one of my senior photo clients.  Her mom and I have become friends and they invited me to her graduation party.  It was a nice time and another beautiful day.  We had so much rain in June, it was great to have nice weather finally.

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Weekly Summary ~ 6/21/15 - 6/27/15

Vacation Bible School week!  Fun. Long. Exhausting. But oh so worth it!

{June 21: Performance}

Alex's performance in yesterday's kickball game wasn't stellar, but he still had fun. Until he decided that jumping on the trampoline would be more interesting.  :)

{June 22: Loud}

Nick definitely lives life out loud. He can have fun in just about any situation. He can also get himself in trouble in almost every situation.  :)

{June 23: Tickled Pink}

I was tickled pink to see these two Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies loving on my milkweed blossoms this afternoon. They aren't Monarchs, but I'll take what I can get right now.   :)

{June 24: Photographer}

One from the archives. During Vacation Bible School week my time is not my own. Plus I hate taking selfies. That is probably why I became a photographer ... so I could spend time photographing other people.  :)  This particular photo is my profile pic on my Facebook photography page, Kimberly Vensel Photography.

{June 25: Stands Out in a Crowd}

This gorgeous lady, who surprised us with her arrival, most definitely stands out in a crowd. Say hello to Frances, formerly known as Rambo.  :)  We came home from Vacation Bible School to find this beauty had emerged from her chrysalis. Then we walked up to show her to our recently-widowed neighbor and asked her if she would help us rename her since Rambo isn't a good girl name. Her sister's name was Frances, so we blessed her day by allowing her to name our first Black Swallowtail butterfly.  (Posted this in the group on Friday due to being so busy with VBS stuff on Thursday).

{June 26: Tick Tock}

The window of time to capture a gorgeous sunset is limited. Although sometimes when you slow down, sit, and enjoy watching the sun setting, God treats you to an even more beautiful sky.

{June 27: The Big Day}

The big day for this incredible couple is in just under a month. I have the honor of photographing their wedding in July. I can't wait!
This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots of the day!  WOOT!


I posted in time to link with Tamar!  :)



Sunday we celebrated Father's Day.  Doug cooked dinner, as he often does on the weekends.  I offered but he said he didn't mind.  That way he can cook what he wants (corn and sweet potatoes).  :)
Monday VBS started.  Need I say more?  :)
We actually had a great week at VBS.  Everyone who helped was right where they were meant to be.  Everything meshed together nicely.  We had an average of 40 kids each day.
Also on Monday my sister-in-law sent me a cell phone picture of a Monarch butterfly she saw while out walking.  Yay!  It was about 10 miles from my house.  I have yet to see one with my own eyes.  Soon, I hope!  If this stupid rain would ever go away for more than a day at a time.
On Thursday after VBS Nick left for Boston.  He qualified to go to the Regional Bible Quizzing event.  It was kind of tough letting him go alone but I knew he was in good hands.  They got to the college in Quincy around 2 a.m.
I was up until almost 2 a.m. finishing up the slideshow for Friday's VBS.  I always take pictures all week and make up a slideshow to show the kids on Friday.  They love seeing their pictures up on the big screen.
The last day of VBS we always host a picnic in the fellowship hall for the kids and their parents.  Everyone had a great time.  We had been raising money all week to help dig water wells in Burkina Faso, Africa.  On Friday at the end of VBS, Jenn announced that we had raised $3,000!   But then during the picnic she announced that someone had put in an additional $1,000 taking us up to $4,000 raised!  It costs around $6,000 to dig a water well so the villagers can have clean drinking water.  We plan to continue to raise money until next year when missionaries from Burkina Faso come to visit our church.  I can't wait to present them with the amount we raise!
Keira had made chocolate chip cookies for the picnic.  They were a huge hit!  Several people asked for the recipe and there were NONE left at the end.  
When we got home from VBS, we had a wonderful surprise.  Our first Black Swallowtail butterfly had eclosed!  She is pictured above as the June 25 photo.  I didn't get to post my photo on Thursday because of VBS busyness.  Some days are like that.  :)
On Saturday we got up early (instead of sleeping in like I usually do after VBS week) and Doug drove Alex and me to Ohio to get some Monarch eggs and baby caterpillars.  A very generous woman that I met on one of the Monarch butterfly groups on Facebook offered them to me.  And since she was just over 3 hours away, we made the drive out.  It rained and poured and rained some more, which made me very thankful that Doug was driving.  :)  Sarah, the butterfly lady, was so gracious.  She took us to lunch at a local diner called The Nutcracker.  We loved the place!  They had nutcrackers all over the place and an old jukebox where you can play 3 songs for a quarter.  And very cool retro decorations.  We didn't let her pay for lunch though.  After her generosity with the Monarchs, I couldn't let that happen.  :)  Buying her lunch was the least we could do.
On the way home we stopped at Cabela's.  I bought a tent for butterfly rearing.  Got the idea from Sarah.  I am hoping to breed some Monarchs this year and have eggs and cats to share with others.  Wish me luck!  We made it back home around 7:00, exhausted but excited to be back in the Monarch raising swing of things!
On Saturday I also got word that Nick was awarded a Silver medal at Bible Quizzing Regionals.  So proud of him!

Here's hoping for another great week!

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Weekly Summary ~ 6/14/15 - 6/20/15

Our first week off from school!  Finally!  Thanks to all the "snow" days, which were more like "too stinkin' cold to go outside" days, the kids' school year got extended by a week.  After losing almost their whole Easter break.  :/  It was another busy week (aren't they all?) but we had some fun in there too.

{June 14: Within My Reach}

My camera is almost always within my reach so when I see something cool, like one of my Black Swallowtail caterpillars eating while upside down, I can snap a quick pic.  :)

{June 15: Masculinity}

Apparently the proper way to show their masculinity was to scowl at the camera. No smiling allowed when you are trying to look manly.

{June 16: Hat}

About this time last year Nick learned how to make paper hats. This is one of his creations.   

{June 17: Begins with "C"}

I was pondering what to photograph for this prompt and then it hit me. Caterpillars and Chrysalises ... in a Collage.  :)

These are my babies right now. As of today, we have three Black Swallowtails in chrysalis, one getting ready, and two still munching away. Their names are (top row - left to right) Cupcake, Sylvester, and Stallone; (bottom row - left to right) Rocky, Pickle, and Rambo. Nick named four of them and Alex named the other two. I'll let you figure out who named whom.  :)

{June 18: Inside}

Alex bought a new toy at our church's rummage sale today and then we went to buy batteries for it. He loves it! However, he's not allowed to play with it inside because it makes a lot of noise.   :)

{June 19: Casual}

Just a casual, make-believe phone conversation on a cool, old-looking phone that doesn't work.  :)

{June 20: All Dressed Up}

How convenient that Keira was participating in a Story Book Princess day today and the prompt is All Dressed Up. She certainly was all dressed up and had a great time playing princess with some sweet little girls.

About our week:

Doug cooked supper on Sunday.  I love when he cooks!  Even if it does usually involve sweet potatoes and corn.  :)  I'm actually starting to like sweet potatoes.

Monday morning I taught a friend how to use her camera in manual mode.  We had a fun time learning and exploring her property.  Alex came with me and had a great time playing with some trains she has for her grandkids.  After that we went to my friend Sam's to fill up her bird feeders.  She was away on vacation and wanted to make sure the birds didn't go hungry.  :)  Keira's violin lesson in the evening wrapped up our day.

Tuesday we lost power for 9.5 hours.  It went out while I was in the shower.  I was almost done so it wasn't a big deal.  But it is so dark in the bathroom when the lights are out!  :)  We were gone for a lot of the down time.  I had a meeting regarding VBS prep work.  And we finally had a day that was nice enough to get in Abby and David's engagement session!

Wednesday we did more VBS stuff.  :)
Thursday too.  And the youth group's rummage sale started.  Keira helped with it all weekend.
On Saturday morning Keira got to dress up like a princess and help entertain some little girls.  She had a great time.  I stayed to help with registration for a little while.  I went home for lunch and then the boys and I piled in the car with my sister in law and one of her girls and drove to Pittsburgh for my cousin's birthday party.  The kids had a blast!  The rain held off until almost the very end.  My mom and sister were there along with a bunch of other people I didn't know.  :)  The boys swam and played kickball and had a really great time.  We all came home exhausted.  
I have to add that I am proud of Keira for making the tough decision not to go to the birthday party.  She had already agreed to help tear down the rummage sale and didn't want to go back on her word.

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Our 30th Week ~ 2014

We finished up Keira's third and last week of summer gym on Friday.  Yay!  She's happy to be able to sleep in once again.  Even if only for a little while since school starts back up in about a month.  And she has an early bird class, which means she starts at 7:20 every day.  Which also means I have to drive her.  Which means I have to get up early every day.  :/

Anyway, we had a family picnic at our home last Sunday, then a church picnic yesterday.  Both were fun!  The boys and I went swimming on Saturday and had a blast!  (Keira was babysitting for a friend).

We are also going strong with the Monarch raising.  As of today we have 21 in chrysalis, 18 caterpillars in various stages of growth, and 4 eggs.  I check for caterpillars or eggs every chance I get, which is why we have so many.  I even found 3 eggs on a tiny milkweed plant that was growing in my garden.  I had planted hundreds (thousands?) of seeds but didn't fare well with plants.  Of the 3 eggs, only one hatched.  But still, imagine how many more I will have next year when I have much more milkweed growing in my garden!  

Okay, so onto last week's photos.  Still playing along with the Photo a Day group on facebook.  And still loving it.  If you will remember, I challenged myself further to include at least one family member in my photos this month.  Even if it is just fingers or toes.  See if you can spot the person or body part.  :)

So without further ado, here they are ...

{July 20: Moment}

I wasn't there the moment our Monarch caterpillar formed its chrysalis, but I hope to be there the moment it emerges as a butterfly.

{July 21: Basic}

Spent some time teaching Alex the {basic}s of playing jacks. Including how to spin them like a top. He was impressed when learning of my hidden talent.  :)

{July 22: I wore this ...}

I wore (and still wear every day) my Fitbit band. It keeps track of my fitness and gives me my "happy buzz" when I reach 10,000 steps in a day. It is very motivating!

{July 23: Macro}

I had promised a macro shot of our Monarch butterfly's chrysalis to the PAD group. The trick was getting a person in the shot to keep up with my personal challenge. So, I managed to get part of my finger in the shot - lower right corner.  :)

{July 24: Water}

Even at 8 years old, he still loves to take bubble baths.

{July 25: Home}
WARNING! GROSS BUG ALERT!  Scroll on by if you need to.  I will understand.  :)

This cicada decided to make his temporary home on our pine tree. The boys discovered him shedding his skin/shell this afternoon. I'm not a fan of cicadas but I have to admit this is cool and gross at the same time.

{July 26: Fun}

This is not a photo you will see often - me in a swimsuit.  :) But the boys and I went to the pool this afternoon to swim. I don't normally swim with them but I did today. And I'm so glad I did. We had a blast! (Nick took this photo of my with my husband's little waterproof Fuji camera).

If you missed Sunday's Scavenger Hunt post and want to see a few more pics from last week, head over and take a peek.  Here's the link ... Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07/27/14.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Linking with Tamar.

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Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07.27.14

Hello!  It's time for another Scavenger Hunt Sunday!  We had a beautiful week here.  Lots of sunshine and comfortable temps.  And finished the week out with a thunderstorm or two Saturday night.  Just about perfect.

I didn't play along with the hunt last week, but I managed to get all the prompts this week.  Kind of.  Almost.  Well, you'll see.  :)

{eyes}

Nick can't open his eyes under water without his goggles, which he forgot to take.  I love this picture anyway.  :)  (Taken with a Fuji FinePix XP60 waterproof camera - because someone will probably ask).  :)

{upside down}

When a Monarch caterpillar is getting ready to form its chrysalis, it hangs upside down in a J form for about a day.  We currently have 19 in chrysalis as I type this.  We also have 22 caterpillars and 2 eggs.  I love raising Monarchs!

{from behind}

I crept up behind this butterfly in order to get this shot.  And this is the only one he let me get before flying off.

{sunshine}

Alex and I took our dog, Honey, for a walk on the bike trail.  When I saw the way the sunshine was hitting on this particular spot, I asked him if he would cooperate for a few photos.  As you can see, he did.  :)

{cup}

Cup, frog, whatever.  :)

That's it from me.  Be sure to visit Ashley for more great Scavenger Hunt finds!

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Our 29th Week ~ 2014

Another fun week under our belts!  Another week of summer gym has passed.  One more week to go!  I met with the couple that hired me to photograph their wedding in August.  Super sweet!  I can't wait for the wedding!  I was supposed to have jury duty selection on Thursday and made all the arrangements for the kids - where they were going, what time everyone needed to be there, who was picking up Keira, etc. - but when I came home from running errands on Wednesday, there was a voice mail saying that they had no cases and I didn't need to report.  WOOT!  That was an answer to prayer.  The kids were laughing at me happy-dancing in the living room after I got that message.  :)

On Friday Doug and I took Alex to Altoona to a train museum then to a place called Horseshoe Curve.  Alex was in his glory.  Everything train related.  We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel since we don't have one near us and just had a really nice day.  Saturday it was raining and miserable which was okay because I spent the day at a friend's house crafting.  I am almost done with my 2012 Project Life scrapbook!  It was a great time!  I am looking forward to doing it again.

Before I get to last week's photos, I have a book giveaway going on right now.  The book is PERSECUTED - based on the movie that just got released on Friday.  No one has entered yet, so go check it out.  It was a great book and I can't wait to see the movie!

Now onto the pictures!  I am still participating in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge and really enjoying it!  It is really making me think creatively, which is the push I need right now.

{July 13 - Look Up}

Honey will only look up at the camera when persuaded by a treat. In this case, a juicy apple slice.

{July 14 - Old School}

Alex loves to play with my "old school" cameras.  He said, "I'm taking a picture of you taking a picture of me!"  :)

{July 15 - Torn}

Torn. About so many things. The biggest of which is how I spend my time. Time that is so fleeting. Time that I can never get back.

(I'm okay for anyone that might be concerned.  I don't normally do selfies, but I had this one in my head so I had to do it.)  :)

{July 16 - Listening to ...}

If you get very quiet and listen closely, you can hear the sound of Monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed, their one and only food source.  In fact, I can hear my caterpillars munching right now as I put this post together.  :)

{July 17 - Sunshine}

What better thing to do on a sunshiney day than play in the sprinkler. And since no one else would cooperate with me for today's prompt, sweet Honeybuns did.  :)

{July 18 - Admire}

I admire Alex's loyalty toward his love for all things train related. He was in his glory today as we spent the day visiting two train museums in Altoona and Horseshoe Curve where we saw several trains passing by up close.

{July 19 - Curly}

Woke up this morning to find our biggest Monarch caterpillar in J form. They curl up like this for about a day before shedding their skin for the last time and forming their chrysalis. Won't be long before we have a butterfly!

And just a couple more random shots from the week ...


On the photo a day group on Facebook, someone asked to see what milkweed looks like.  This is the Common Milkweed that we have around here.  We have another kind also but I have never found an egg or caterpillar on it, so the Monarchs must like this kind best.  Milkweed is the only food source for Monarch caterpillars so it is important not to chop it down or use weed killers on it.  Let's help the Monarch butterfly population build back up, k?  Oh, and the flowers that bloom on milkweed smell heavenly!  No wonder butterflies, bees, and lots of other bugs like to hang out on milkweed!


The kids and I went for a nature walk on Friday after we picked Keira up from summer gym.  I took lots of pictures but this is my favorite.  When I was getting set up to take a photo of this flower, this tiny little bug decided he needed to photobomb my shot.  I think I like it better with him in it. :)

Linking with Tamar.

Have a great week!

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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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