Team-Up Thursday- Close-Up

This week Cara and I chose close-up as our theme. I wanted a theme that was pretty easy since I am still transitioning back to real life after vacation. I envisioned a macro shot of a bug or flower when we chose the theme, but then I realized that my 10 year wedding anniversary was going to fall on Thursday (today). So then I changed gears and decided to photograph my wedding ring. The engagement ring is an antique from the 1930's. We had the wedding band made to fit it. I can honestly say that 10 years later, I still love it just as much as the day Mitch proposed.

Cara's photo is so intriguing. What a spectacular looking bug and she captured it perfectly. I love the reflection and the background texture.

Happy Anniversary Mitch. The last 10 years have been the best years of my life. I am looking forward to many more years of adventures. I love you.

Visit Megan's for more Team-Up Thursday.

Ice, Ice Baby

As forecasted we were slammed with snow and ice on Friday. Which meant we spent the weekend at home playing in the snow. It also meant more macrotherapy for me. Ice is almost as fun to photograph as raindrops.

my rosemary bush

some ice flare

my car

The snow was so hard that I could stand on it without my feet sinking in.

Mmmmm

So what did you do this weekend?

Rain Rain Go Away

It has been raining here non stop since Thursday. I am ready to see some sunshine. I took this last week. It's a flower from our clematis. I loved all the raindrops and purple is my favorite color. So I am declaring this my best shot.

Visit Tracey for more Best Shot Monday.

There's No Place Like Home

One of the best things about vacation is coming home. I might not always be ready to get back to real life, but being home sure does make me happy. We got home on Sunday around 6:00 pm. The kids had been cooped up in the car all day so we let them loose in the backyard. Harper scoped the yard out for us letting us know what new flowers were blooming. I walked around and saw that my blueberry bush had blueberries forming.

My strawberry plant had strawberries growing.

The cilantro and parsley were still thriving.

The clematis and irises were all in bloom.



We were not even gone a week and our yard was out of control. It was a good feeling. I was too tired to take photos on Sunday, but it rained yesterday. And you all know I have a thing for raindrops so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get some shots of the backyard.

I still have to plant my seeds for the rest of my herbs and vegetables. I am a little stressed that I have not be able to get them in the ground. Hopefully it won't be too late.

Reunited and It Feels So Good

We received quite a bit of rain yesterday. After dinner the rain had stopped and the kids asked to go out and splash in the puddles. So I grabbed my camera and while the kids played, I snapped some photos of my two favorite subjects (besides my two kids of course)-raindrops and flowers.

It was a little dark out so I had my ISO set to 800. My macro lens is a little heavy so it takes a very steady hand when it is not very bright out. Anyway, all I can say is thank goodness for noise filters. I use the free community version of Noiseware and it has been a lifesaver for me.

The alien looking thing that I captured a couple of weeks ago finally bloomed. So pretty.

I know this one is pretty blurry, but I thought it was cool that a fly landed on the flower as I was taking the photo. Hey there, Mr. Fly.

I gave up on my macro lens and switched to my 50mm lens that I have to manually focus. At least these plants can't run away from me.

Only one of my blueberry bushes is blooming. I keep checking the other one hoping for a glimpse of life.

It felt good to be reunited with my camera even if it had only been a week.

Macro Photo Therapy

Sometimes you just have to take a break from real life, grab your camera, and take some macro shots of all the pretty plants in your backyard, right? Ok, maybe it's just me. I realized this weekend that taking these nature macro shots is very therapeutic to me. I feel like I am transported to a different world. Then I get to look at them on the computer and crop them and edit them. It's just what I needed after a weekend of being cooped up inside.

As you can tell I am a little obsessed with raindrops. They are just too cool. I threw the bee (I think it is a bee) shot in to add a bit of variety. I am choosing it as my best shot too.

Head over to Tracey's for more Best Shot Monday.

Raindrops

I am not feeling wordy today so I am just leaving you with a couple of photos I took this weekend. It rained all day on Saturday and it snowed on Sunday. It was nice to have something different to photograph.

I kept going back and forth between these two for my Best Shot. I think I like the second one better though. I love how you can see the reflection in the top droplets.

Visit Tracey's for more Best Shot Monday.

Wordless Wednesday- Daisy

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.