What’s crazy is, that we had the biggest April Fool’s joke here, because we woke up to tons of snow.

So, I took pictures of snow while we drove toward Philly, for our breakfast date.

This was my favorite of the bunch…

Also, today is the first day of what will be a very busy month for me.

I am the featured artist for the month at a website called 30dayartist.com.

You can go there each day to see my artwork.

I did this last may.

The goal is to try to get 40 pieces done during the month.

Thinks it sounds crazy?  It is, but it’s also fun!!

We drove around hoping for some good pictures, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

This is the best I could do.

Wish I could have had a closer look at the place.  This was snapped from the car window.

I kinda wanna go live in that barn, don’t you?

Oh, and if you haven’t been, visit my old photo blog for some other great photos from last year and before that.

Seems that whenever I’m running out of photo options, and haven’t taken a picture, something God made catches my eye.

Tonight, it was the moon.

Just as I was getting back grom Phoenix’s piano lesson, and hurring to feed Willik some dinner before his Orchestra rehearsal.

The sun was setting and the moon was rising.

I couldn’t drop everything just then, but after Willik was on his way to Orchestra with Fabio, I went outside with my tripod.

I needed the tripod, because I knew I couldn’t hold the camera still enough to get a decent picture.

The moon was rising, so it wouldn’t stand still very long, and I was just glad I know how to do everything on manual on my camera, when  needed. It was needed.

I was not disappointed.

The only hard thing was hold cold it was out there.  I will have to try this again in the summer.  The I can stay there all night!

And if anyone wants to help me get a bigger lens, to get better moon pictures, I have a hat waiting for your contributions.

In the meanwhile, my current zoom lens did the job.

The moon in all it’s glow!

And here’s the moon at the beginning of my shooting….

That’s what I was thinking.  And It was almost 6 in the evening, and I had nothing.

Fabio had a strange hankering for Red Robin, and since we’d eaten at church for lunch, we ddecided to go for dinner.

I decided to take my camera along, figuring I’d have to take a lame picture of a burger…

Well, God’s amazing creation is so much more beautiful…

We had just left the house, when I spotted the gorgeous colors in the sky.

The sun had actually already set from our view, but the glow lasted quite long.

I asked Fabio to turn left on the very first street, and make it over to an open field right here in Dublin.

For someone who’s only planning was to take a camera long, I was blessed with the most beautiful sunset.

Sunsets have always been my favorite, and I would not mind doing a whole year of sunset pictures… If only my house provided a good enough view.  Maybe some day.

For now, this will more than do.

One picture is more than enough for today!

We got the supplies to do FLIP tomorrow at Graffiti, then went on to have a fabulous brunch date at Cracker Barrel. Here’s what I ate…

The picture of the day was spotted by Fabio, as we drove around getting pictures.

We drove around sort of aimlessly, just trying to find picturesque things…

The theme of the day is sitting….

Here’s my fave…

Anyone wanna sit and crochet on this couch??

Then we found this…

Boy, I am just so glad for indoor plumbing!  Especially with this weather!!

The weather actually is helping these guys.  I can’t believe I saw ice fishing with my very own eyes!  This city girl is impressed that anyone would sit out in the cold, attempting to fish, when they can’t even see anything thru the ice.  That, my friends is real dedication!!

Look for photos tomorrow.  We will be in NYC for the day, and I can’t wait to see what is captured.  It will be very different than today’s photos, that’s for sure!

This farm has been in the same family for over 200 years, and some of the family goes to our church.

I went by the other day, to see a new calf, who is only 3 weeks old.

It was a very cold day, and I’m glad I’m not a cow in a stable.

Did you know you can see a cow’s breath when it’s cold?? You can, and I can prove it!

A baby calf doesn’t care how dirty his momma might be, as long as she has milk for him! I think this little guy might be named Connor or… something else I can’t remember.  They hadn’t decided yet.

Then there’s the ever present snow.  Of course, when it looks like this, on a very blue day, I almost thing it’s okay…

The sun tried, but it just caused a glow behind the clouds.

So, getting creative with the camera.

Here’s my fun attempt at today’s photo…

Today was a very productive day.

I made 2 baby crochet hats, I did a load of laundry, I folded 3 loads of laundry, I had lunch with a friend, I cooked dinner, and I worked on an afghan.

And I’m posting this blog entry before 11pm!

Here’s dinner…

Baked rigatoni– like ziti but fatter noodles!

And here are some starlings.  They might be considered pests, but I still enjoy their shape.  There were maybe 20 or 30 of them gathering around this particular tree right above my car…

There are days when I am far too busy with other things, and taking a beautiful picture is impossible, and taking a picture at all feels pointless.

Nevertheless, I still have managed the last 2 days, to take a picture of something.

The cold bitter wind wasn’t helping my picture-taking mood today, though praying this morning with other moms was a great way to start the day!

Thankfully, my friend’s backyard provided just the thing…

It was so windy, I’m not sure how thins junco managed to stay up, but you can see the win in his chest feathers…

This junco, on the other hand, was very well camouflaged…

Hoping for more sun tomorrow!

That, of course, was my workout for the day.

The best picture today is one, that maybeis a bit obscure and abstract.

We had an ice storm last night, and then this morning, everything was iced over.

Around noon though, the temperature rose, and everything started to drip and melt.

This picture captures the bubbles of air behind a sheet of ice, over the tree trunk, as water rushed down and it melted off all the branches.

It was a beautiful moment, perhaps better if it had been captured on film.  It was, however, reminiscent of spring for me, and perhaps that is why I liked it so much!

What do you think?

We also had beautiful ice patterns over frozen pine bushes

Another spring looking budding tree…

cute boy eating ice…

and strong boys showing off a very big fallen branch!

What’s your favorite thing about winter?

Meanwhile, my love was supposed to arrive today, but again, the snow played a part in his delay, and he is stuck in Oklahoma, and will only be arriving very late tomorrow.

Please pray for traveling mercies and no more delays!!

So, it meant I had to come up with something interesting to photograph tonight.

My meal wasn’t particularly photogenic, though it was good.

But then I noticed the interesting light on the icicles, because of the cars’ headlights as they passed by.

Once again, my tripod has come in handy!  It was money very well spent.  It is so sturdy, and can be in so many different positions.

So, here’s what icicle and headlights make together…

Here’s how it looks with different lights….

And then, a little fun with a self-portrait…

We went to church and came back, and it was cold, and I had the boys, and I didn’t feel like going out to look for a photo op.

So I had to find something to do at home.

Many photos of lots of random things, most of which did not work.

In the end, I just got a moment that Phoenix picked Trick up, and hugged him.  And Trick let him.

The other 2 pictures still have ice/snow present.

The Sunset was making a beautiful red glow on our big maple tree.

And there are those icicles again, forming in front of my house.

But the sunset makes them prettier.

This time at Peace Valley Park.  The hill was huge, the place was beautiful, and it was snowing almost the whole time we were there.

I managed to get some good pics.  The kids had a blast, and I would have left much sooner, as I was getting pretty cold, but we stayed for about 3 hours!!

Best sled moment capture on camera was this:

The best portrait of the day:

My favorite peas in a pod…

And thanks Lorraine, for getting proof that even I went down the hill!

Let the next days please be snow free, so that my husband can return home without any more delays!  It’s been a long month!

This snow thing is completely out of control.

The good news is, today we were invited to a friend’s house.  They had a lot of snow, piled high by the plowing and shoveling and digging out.  So, they made forts.

They also use their deck in the back yard as a sledding launch.

The boys had a blast with their friends.

Here, the photo of the day is Phoenix and his friend, who, when asked to get in the tunnel, posed no problem.  Smiling on the other hand, was never going to happen, so I used the moment to get the silliest picture I could…

Much sledding happened as well…

and the little one just found his own fun… shoveling.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a beautiful sunny day, and snow won’t be a part of any of my pictures.

Picture for today…

a very drippy icicle.

On other interesting facts for today…

Our mailbox was knocked off by the plow truck throwing snow half way into our yard…

And Willik had to carry it to our front porch before it got completely buried.  Luckily the mail which was inside did not get damaged.

Also, the boys decided to play in the snow when it was almost dark.

Thankfully, now that I have toasty boots, I was able to run out and get some pics of them.

I still need to find a way to keep my hands warm while trying to shoot pics.

Yesterday a friend and her kids were lucky enough to spot bald eagles there.  I was not so lucky.

I saw more common birds, but beautiful ones, nonetheless.

I also got a very curious heron…

and a flighty seagull…

All the activity was happening here, because it was one of the few places on the lake that had no frozen, and I guess provided fish and other edibles for these birds.

I have to go back with a bigger lens!  Anyone have a big powerful 400mm lens they’d like to lend me??

The kids had a 2-hour delay.

After they were gone, I read and rested.

Then I took some advil, and found enough energy to run errands and take pictures.

I was rewarded by lots of white fields in bright light.  Midday is not my best picture taking time, but it’s all I had, so I made it work.

My favorite:

The snow covered graveyard behind Hilltown Baptist Church was peaceful and quiet.  With just a bit of color.

Throughout Bucks County, you will find a plethora of fields and pastures.

This one was one of those… belonging to Penn View Farm, it looked beautiful as the powdery white snow kept blowing up due to the high winds.

My car kept me warm as I took this picture:

I’m ready to take spring pictures already!!

My sis-in-law was stuck here an extra day because of the weather, abd as she left, her kids were getting sick and throwing up.

My kids were home sick again today, so I had to get a doctor’s appointment for them.  Of course, they said it’s probably just a cold, no big deal.

I started coming down with said cold, and I feel positively awful. Advil is currently masking my symptoms and enabled me to come to the computer and do this.

But before the full onset of symptoms came on, and just after we had lunch, I spotted these bluebirds outside my kitchen window.  Credit goes to “Trick” the cat, for spotting them first and meowing a whole bunch.  I quickly got my camera, and right through the kitchen window I was able to capture several shots before they flew away.  I hope they come again, cause they are so beautiful.  They help brighten this difficult winter I’m having.

Here’s the male eastern bluebird:

and the female:

And another bird I have to research to find out what it is…

Prayers would sure be appreciated for a speedy recovery.

This morning I got pictures of branches with rain drops.  Sounds cool, but in five minutes time I was getting drenched and so was my camera, and focusing was a challenge.

All day went by.  Keeping 6 kids entertained and happy for an whole indoor day, not to mention that 3 of them were not feeling 100% great did not help the already great task.

I decided to do a little portrait session of my gerbils.

Gusteau won and had the most photogenic shots.

He won today’s contest…

here’s the best close-up of a branch with ice I could get…

I hope tomorrow is a nicer day.

Winter, please go away.

Anyway, late morning start(finally my kids are learning to ease into a saturday morning– hallellujah!!), late breakfast, a little straightening up, a little laundry, and then finally, I decided we should venture out for some lunch, and errands.

I had not had any coffee because it seems now that the heating problems have worked out, I might have a water problem.  More on that if indeed it becomes a problem.

Anyway, I didn’t have any coffee this morning, so my first stop was at a Starbucks, and then onto lunch at Jules Thin Crust– one of my favorite places in Doylestown.  The boys got their usual- a brooklyn pie.  I had 2 different slices, and they were both grand as is to be expected of everything at Jules.

After lunch, I decided to take a detour, and see if I could get a couple pictures at Fonthill and the Moravian Tile Works grounds, but it was not to be.  I almost fell down a small hill, almost lost my camera’s lens cap, and then as I tried to just park on one of the driveways to get a few shots, another car came, and I had to move.

We then went on to our supermarket stop, where I got provisions so that I can welcome my sister in law and her kids tomorrow, for the beginning of the week visit.

Then on to a second errand, where I got some thick-sliced slab bacon straight from the butcher, sliced to order.  Who doesn’t love bacon, huh??

Finally, we made the last stop, which was where I wanted to go all along.  We stopped over at a nearby farm that belongs to one of the people from our church.  The farm has been in her family for 200 years.  We had been there once before, when the little calves were only a week old, but I did not have my camera then, and it was too cold.  Today, although very overcast, was a bit more bearable.

There was much I wanted to photograph, and I did get several good shots.  But the one I’d had in my mind’s eye since last time was the winning photo of the day.  I was glad I captured it exactly as I had pictured previously.

What I didn’t expect, and was pleased to find, was a very friendly and loving cat.

Apparently, he wanted to be in the photos, and with us!

Tomorrow, I will ask my friend his name, since they weren’t around to tell us.

I need a bike, but I guess I can wait until spring!

Being outside for just even 10 minutes, with all the layers and coat and gloves and mittens spells frostbite to me.  I’m getting older, and now realize why everyone wants to move to Florida, except that I want to move to the South West.

Anyway, I know winter has it’s beauty, and there’s much to learn from having less to work with, much like having selective and limited materials in art makes for some gorgeous artwork.  So, instead of crying about it, I’m trying to make it a valuable asset in my photography.  For now.

So today, I ventured outside for 20 minutes, 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon.

Today’s winning picture is most true of the weather…

The others just add a well rounded picture of my day.

See, I am learning to see beauty in all things winter related.

What do you like about winter?

I spent a day at a friend’s house.  Photographing birds and hanging out, talking. What could be better???

This is what today’s camera work has to offer.

Isn’t she beautiful?

I got this one also; which was Phoenix’s favorite shot.  He thought this Junco looked so cute…

Taking a picture in the outdoors during the winter can be a challenge.  I hope I can find much beauty for the next few months.

I decided to take my macro outside to my backyard.  I was surprised to find these beautiful orange-ish buds on this plant.

Snow covers the ground, yet this plant is very much alive.

what did you do this weekend?

Does this seem too early for anyone else?

I know, if you’re in Minnesota, North Dakota, or in Canada, you think I’m just whining.  And maybe I am, but in this part of the country, or more specifically, in New York, the earliest snow I remember was probably 15 years ago, or so, and it was on Thanksgiving Day.

Now, in Bucks County we were given a steady flow or wet big flakes, which resulted in some accumulation on the grass, but the pavement was just really slushy.  Not fun to drive in, not fun to be in, and not fun, as the boys had hoped, to play in it.

I had hoped to get some pictures taken, but my camera wasn’t cooperating, as all my rechargeable batteries were dead.  I hope to be better prepared for the next snowfall.  Hopefully not for a while.

Today was another weird day as we had cloud cover, dreary morning, the sun came out after it started to rain at around noon.  The sun stayed, the rain went away, only to return just as I was picking up the kids.  It’s chilly, and I’m still hoping this isn’t the real beginning of winter.

For someone from Brasil, even after 24 years, I still don’t like the winter!