I'll take runner up any day!

I won $100 and my photo will be in The Parade Magazine in the Sunday paper on 12/2/07! Pretty cool, huh??? :)

The Nature Conservancy/Parade Magazine Photo Contest

I received an email yesterday about being a finalist in a photo contest (I almost forgot I entered - back in April)! We receive The Nature Conservancy Magazine and I noticed the contest listed. I thought the prizes sounded great, so I entered a few photos through Parade Magazine's website (since most of the photos I take are of nature - correction, most of the photos I post on this blog are of nature. I take the most of my kids but I am still wigged out about posting their cute mugs here - maybe one day). The long and short of it all is, one of my photos was chosen out of over 200,000 entries. That, in itself makes me feel like a winner and to think, I entered for the 'prizes'!

~Remember to click on photos to enlarge ~

This is the one they chose:

By the way, I have been asked the same questions, several times by several different people. No, I do not use/have PhotoShop nor do I have a super duper camera. Maybe if I win this contest I should... :) Also - I want to thank you guys for the praise and support you give me (here, on the phone, emails, etc...). Most of which I don't agree with or believe but - I think you guys made me 'believe' just enough to enter this contest!

xo

Headed up to Snowbird for Oktoberfest and...

we were treated to some beautiful fall colors and snow! (remember - you can click on the photos to enlarge)

You can take the girl out of the east coast but you can't take the east coast out of the girl!

Two weeks wasn't enough! Heck, I could be there for a month and I'd still say the same thing! I miss it there so much... I love everything about it - everything. xoxo



Our view of New York City from our terminal at Newark International.
See... told ya :)

The city of brothery love - Philadelphia. None greater!

Fly Eagles fly! Go Birds!!

Ben Franklin, The Declaration of Independence, Betsy Ross and Rocky Balboa - now that's Philly!

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3! Great game!

My sweeties on the beach. I love seeing them do things that I did when I was young.

Crab. It's what's for dinner. Mmmmmm... Fun to catch and even better to eat!!

~Sitting (I mean standing) on the dock of the bay...

I miss and love you all so much.

The one and only ~ Hydrangea

My all time favorite flower. It's so beautifully romantic to me. This particular one is special to me because it was my Mother's Day flower from the boys 2 years ago...

The fruits of our labor - literally.

Our garden. From germination to seedlings to plants to vegetables- I love it all! My hands down, favorite part of summertime. We've planted a garden for the past nine summers now, but there is something that has made the veggies taste just a little better the past six. It's been so great and important to me, that we include the boys in the process. From setting up my little greenhouse, spritzing the planted seeds, thinning out the seedlings - all of it, they help with all of it. Some of my most special memories are of Dad letting me "man" his peanut plants. Not to mention helping in that gigantic garden of ours - to this day, the smell of tomato plants bring me back to my childhood (there is something so different about weeding a vegetable garden and weeding a flowerbed - I don't mind doing the garden!). I hope when the boys get older, they have the same special feelings towards gardening that I do.




Bell Pepper

Zuchini (in the foreground)

Tomatoes

String beans (forgot to add a photo of the beans:)

May 10th

June 28th

We also have pumpkins, cukes, jalapenos and crookneck squash planted but I thought the post/photos would be waaaay too long :) I'll be sure to add them on the next garden post...
Cheers! xoxo