Coneflower and Sage

Just felt like posting these images from my front garden.  I really just want to see them again.

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,

And in His word I do hope.

Psalm 130:5 NASB

My soul waits for the Lord

More than the watchmen for the morning;

Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

Psalm 130:6 NASB

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Red-Tailed Hawk

One day last week, I saw a bird land on a tree limb in our back yard.  I thought it was a mourning dove; from a distance, the coloring was similar.  When I took a better look, I realized it was a red-tailed hawk.

It posed while I put my 70-300mm lens on, and I was able to capture it through my family room window and screen (hence the hazy image).  When I stepped outside to get a clearer shot, he promptly flew down and just over the fence.  Seeing him was still "way cool."  :)

I know every bird of the mountains,

And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

Psalm 50:11 NASB

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Served by Jesus

Sometimes my day doesn't go like I want it to.  I know you have days like that, too.  It seems the Lord has plans all His own on those days, and I'm still learning to trust that He knows best how to order my day.

It started with an early phone call from a friend's daughter, who shared a concern that my email account had been hacked.  Sure enough, somehow a suspicious link had been sent to all my contacts.  I changed the password on my account, sent out a warning email, and hoped that was all--and it seemed to be.

I knew when I turned on my smart phone that I'd have to log in to my email account with my new password.  Sure enough, I went through the process.  But, a message appeared that told me either my username or password was incorrect.  I went through the process several times to no avail.  I shut off my phone, waited, then turned it on and tried again.  Same thing.  I deleted the email address from the account and tried to set it up all over again.  No good.  Grr.

I grabbed a super-quick breakfast and walked over to the Verizon store (nice that it's just a block away).  It was an absolutely beautiful morning, with clear blue skies and almost no breeze.  I enjoyed the crisp air (temps in the 20s) as I finished the quick walk over.  The Verizon rep, John, was very helpful and resolved the problem for me.  He even showed me how to use a better app for my email, and then showed me some other cool apps for my phone.

After I got home again, I thought I'd bake cupcakes for the guys for their men's meeting that evening.  I had some cake flour I needed to use up, and it was the exact amount I needed for the recipe.  I started measuring all the ingredients out, only to realize--I didn't have quite enough baking powder.  Really?  Oh, yeah--so it was grab my coat and head out to Meijer, which is also right across the street.  I drove this time.

At Meijer, I grabbed a couple of items and headed down the baking aisle.  They didn't have my favorite brand, Rumford, which is aluminum-free.  Rats.  At that point, I sighed and realized I'd just drive over to Whole Foods and grab some there, along with a few things I usually get at that store.

I put two canisters of baking powder in my cart, and I found a new brand of yogurt, on sale, plus a case discount if I bought a dozen.  Those went into my cart as well.  Not really a whole lot of stuff.  I went through the checkout, chatted with the cashier, got my stuff in the car, and headed back home.

I then grabbed a quick lunch and set about making the cupcakes, which turned out really interesting since I apparently filled the cups too full.  Here's a smart phone pic:

At that point, I just had to laugh.  It seemed it would be "one of those days."  But, I tried to remember the Lord allowed even this to happen, so trivial but maybe it was to help me laugh.  I uploaded the image to Facebook and called them my "table-top" cupcakes, or Mesa Cupcakes:  more surface area = more frosting.

Finally, at dinner, we were sitting around our kitchen counter eating leftovers (thank the Lord I didn't have to prepare a full meal!), when all of a sudden Thomas sat up straight and hollered, "Mom!  Jesus was your cashier at Whole Foods!!!"

He was right.

I was served by Jesus.  Well, it was a Hispanic guy ringing up my groceries.  He was very friendly and wished me a great day.  And then it hit me--I really was served by Jesus today.  Didn't He feed me from His Word when I read it this morning?  Didn't He give my sunshiny blue skies and calm weather for walking?  Hadn't He gently ordered my day for His purposes?   Didn't He send laughter my way in the form of overflowing cupcakes?  And, didn't He give me an observant son who could spot the name of Jesus on a store receipt?  :)

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,

but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:28 NASB

Although I am His servant, and hopefully proceeded through the day with thankfulness and obedience, He did indeed bless me, and reminded me with a receipt.  Thank You, Lord!

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 44

Project 2012 -- Week 44

October 28 - November 3

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time to look back over the past week, 
choose seven favorite images I've taken, and share them here with you.  
If you have a project you're working on, please leave a comment 
so I can visit your blog and see what you're up to!

Ellie took a nice, long rest this week.  I've been pretty busy with homeschooling, creating photo books, streamlining my business, planning for next year's state homeschool convention (the special needs portion), and general day-to-day stuff.  So, that's my personal life, and now here are my images.  :)

These are pretty random, just images I took when I felt like picking Ellie up and capturing something.  I wasn't too inspired by anything in particular, but I did enjoy shooting anyway.

[302] Bananas

[303] Dried oregano

I purchased these letters, and plan on staining them for an upcoming photo shoot with four-month-old twin girls.  I'm very excited about that!

[304] M and J

I've been pondering the upcoming election, and the first verse below kept coming to mind.  It's good to know the Lord is in control.

[305] Wise words

I still have tomatoes from my garden!  These tomatoes below are completing their ripening in a bowl in front of my living room window.

[306] Autumn tomatoes

Here are a couple of books I want to read through someday, when I have time.  (Yeah, right, but I'm still hoping!)

[307] Good reading

This past weekend, I decided to turn my bread dough into garlic rolls.  I rolled it out on the counter, then spread butter and fresh minced garlic over it.  I cut it up into 24 squares (this is two loaves' worth of dough), and formed haphazard balls.  They turned out excellent, and my house smelled wonderful all afternoon!

[308] Garlic rolls

Next week will be more inspiring, especially with a Littles Session!  These twin girls are guaranteed to be adorable and I can't wait to work with them.  I hope you've had a great week!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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The Flowers Have Appeared

For behold, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

Song of Solomon 2:11 NASB

The flowers have already appeared in the land;

The time has arrived for pruning the vines,

And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:12 NASB

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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With Me In The Night

Click on Katie's link above for details!!

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night,

A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:8 NASB [emphasis mine]

I wasn't planning on participating in Scripture & a Snapshot this week, but it's 1:30am and my body will not let me sleep.  In looking over my photos, this one came to mind, and the Lord gave me the above Scripture.  I bolded the words that are so precious to me even as I type this.  I am comforted, even in my sleeplessness.  Thank You, Lord!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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God's Hand Across the Sky

Saturday, October 8.  Lake Bonaparte, in the Adirondacks, upstate New York.

It was the end of a long, fun-filled day.  First, a cozy boat ride with Dad and Mom in Dad's Caddy.  Then, cooking/baking/laughing/goofing in the kitchen with Mom.  Then the L.B.C.D.C. (read about it here).  But all the activities slowly died down as the sun made its slow descent toward the west.

I knew it was time to pull out my tripod and get Ellie situated on the dock for my evening ritual.  This was the most spectacular sunset I saw during my week at the Lake, so I thought I'd share all aspects of it with you.  There are only six images (five of the actual sunset), but they give a good flavor of the changing sky.

The time is indicated under each image, so you can see just how the sky changes throughout the evening.  And even though the sunset was supposed to be at something like 6:40pm, it set earlier because of the mountains, so I had to get set up even earlier.  I set ISO at 100, my kit lens (17-85mm) at 17mm, and aperture at f13, for most of these shots.  (These are the times I dream of a wide-angle lens.)

The first image below is looking west and a little north.  It's almost where I set up Ellie to capture the sunsets of summertime.  It was just so pretty and calm and peaceful; I needed one shot of that before turning more toward the west.

6:07pm

Okay, then I set up looking west and a little south.  This is just before the sun set, and you can see the jet trails--especially that one right down the middle--wisping the sky.

 6:12pm

The sky became a deeper blue, and the sun looked like a glowing ball settling into the mountains for the night.  That jet trail is prominent, even in the water.

 6:17pm

Another jet (or military drone--Fort Drum owns part of the lake and military aircraft frequently fly over it) left a trail, and the skyscape looked even dreamier than before.  The reflections on the water deepened.

6:34pm

I think 6:40pm was true sunset, so the below is about four minutes later.  But I think it's perfect.  Sorry for my watermark covering those beautiful reflections!  I could linger over this for a long time...

6:44pm

I always wait even later than true sunset, just to watch the sky.  It was warm enough that the mosquitoes came out just about the time I was taking my last images of the sunset.  Even though the above shot is sunset at perfection, I absolutely love the below image for its tranquility and intense color.

6:53pm

I did almost no editing of these photos, plus I removed spots that appeared because my camera sensor is dirty (time to clean it!).  The spots become apparent at slow shutter speeds, which let in lots of light and allow those tiny dirt specks to "shine through."

Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

Praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD

From this time forth and forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting

The name of the LORD is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations;

His glory is above the heavens.

Psalm 113:1-4 NASB

To read the next post about my Lake Bonaparte getaway, click here.


Previous Lake posts

Part 1 -- Autumn Lake Nature Walk
Part 2 -- Pontoon Panorama
Part 3 -- Saturday Scenes from the Boat
Part 4 -- Food! Glorious Food!
Part 5 -- People, Boats, and Pictures


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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Saturday Scenes from the Boat

Day Two at the lake.  I was feeling much more refreshed on our first full day at the lake.  Temperatures warmed up into the high 60s, and it was so cheerfully bright that when Rick, a lake friend, showed up and offered us a spur-of-the-moment ride on his pontoon boat, we all jumped aboard and were off to see the autumn wonders of the lake.

My parents enjoying the cruise

A seagull greets us

Just a tinge of autumn color graced the shoreline in spots, but I was so grateful to see even this hint of the beautiful change of seasons.

Sunlight through the trees on the shore

A cormorant dries its wings on the rocks

Below is our little piece of Bonaparte shoreline.

I got this cool shot of my older brother as we finished docking the boat.  We were preparing to surprise Tom and Bea, lake friends who had just arrived for the weekend.

Tom was sure excited to see Matt!

Later, it was Matt's turn to help out with burning some brush and leaves on the property.

At the lake, I have a ritual of setting up my camera and tripod on the dock each night to capture the sunset.  It was a bit of a surprise to realize that the autumn sun set in a different location than the blazing sun of summer!  I'm so glad our place is on the eastern shore--due to the mountains, sunsets on the lake are much better to photograph than sunrises.  Plus, I'm usually awake for the sunsets.  :)

My photographer's eye told me that the below shot was not one for a picture frame.  I usually look for clouds and the interesting reflections they cast on the water's surface.  But skip the picture frame this time!  My soul was refreshed by His beauty and peace, and I went to bed that night assured of His constant love.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:11-12 NASB

To see the next post of my Lake Bonaparte getaway, click here.


Previous posts from my Lake getaway

Part 1 -- Autumn Lake Nature Walk
Part 2 -- Pontoon Panorama


Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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Autumn Lake Nature Walk

Friday, October 7.  Lake Bonaparte, upstate New York.  Foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

I have been going to the Lake my entire life; my dad spent most of his youth living near here, enjoying frequent trips to the Lake with his family.  His parents eventually bought a house (cottage) on the Lake, and he eventually bought the adjacent property and built his own cottage.  Lake memories fill my heart and I treasure them all.

This trip was extra special:  it was my very first autumn at Lake Bonaparte.  I accompanied my parents and older brother to this beautiful corner of the Adirondack Mountains, in order to help my mom close their lake house for the winter, but also to have fun, make memories, and reconnect with family and lake friends.  Most importantly, however, was a deep need in my heart to be rejuvenated, filled with the Lord's rest and peace, and strengthened with His strength to resume my hectic-for-a-season life at home.

Here is my parents' home at the lake, which is to my back.

The Lord graced us with the most perfect autumn weather we could have ever hoped for--temperatures in the 70s, and not a cloud in the sky for pretty much the entire time we were there.

On my first day at the lake, I grabbed Ellie, put on her macro lens, and wandered around to see what we would find.  Enjoy the photojournal of my very first autumn nature walk at Lake Bonaparte.

Mushrooms on a tree trunk

The leaves tell of autumn coming

More mushrooms!

Still some flowers around...

...and critters on the flowers

This little cutie showed up with a wave and a shouted "Hi!" as her great-grandmother and she walked up our sandy drive.  Since the macro lens was on, I had to stand waaaay back to capture her.

I wandered off down the single-land road, stopping to capture the beauty along the way.

Even weeds display the handiwork of God!

Ferns and leaves shout out His glory as well.

As I completed a very short circuit around the circular road (the whole circle is only about 1/4 mile!), I found a few more samples of the Lord's beauty at the roadside.

I love the trees at the lake.  Pine and birch dot the landscape, and I love the peeling white bark of the birch trees.

My first little jaunt into autumn nature at the lake was done.  Sometimes you have to look closely to see the amazing detail and care that He has taken with His creation.

The heavens are the heavens of the LORD,

But the earth He has given to the sons of men.

The dead do not praise the LORD,

Nor do any who go down into silence;

But as for us, we will bless the LORD

From this time forth and forever.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 115:16-18 NASB

To see the next post in my Lake Bonaparte getaway, click here.

Capturing the moments of life.

Christine

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