Stella has a drawer full of denim: jeans she inherited from brothers and cousins, and a pair or two I bought. I don’t think she’ll ever wear them.
Danny models his denim leggings — they sure fit a lot better than his older brothers’ Carter’s jeans.
I have a common practice of wandering around my house and saying, “oh my, why in the world is THAT there?” Of course I know the answer is because some child was playing with it and then put it down and left. But still, there have been some very unsual ones that I have tried to wrap my head around: why is the wii remote in the bathroom?, etc., etc.
So this is one of the less bizarre incidents, it’s pretty obvious that some kid (probably the 9 or 6 year old) decided to see what it would be like to sled down the hill on the tricycle. And that’s a steeper incline to get back up the hill than you would think from the picture. I guess whoever did that decided it wasn’t worth hauling the bike back up to try again.
Kids.
Bridget’s fiber-loving aunt gave her this beautiful wool for Christmas, which Bridget will soon spin and knit something wonderful with. For now, on ice-cold days like this, I just want to wrap myself up in that gorgeous pinkness.
I find self-portraits difficult, because any number of tiny imperfections (like those rosacea pustules) become magnified and result in disproportionately huge feelings of self-consciousness.
A tiny bit of snow and the landscape is transformed. It was only an inch — but that was enough to delay schools and set the scene for some lovely photographs.
Sure, I could concoct a story about Pixie and how she relates to the call for today. But the truth is, I spent all day trying to come up with something funny or clever and just kept coming up empty. Some days are like that and finally it was too late. Luckily, Pixie is pretty cute when she sleeps on the top of my favorite Maker&Son sofa.
Whether your furry family members include dogs, cats, or horses, the CBD line for Pets will let them enjoy the same CBD goodness that humans do. By combining all the properties of CBD oil with animal-approved flavors, Observer has found the perfect combo of natural relief, see the full list of treats here observer.com.
Stella likes to concoct stories, and they are generally rather fascinating. This evening, she came into my studio looking for Band-Aids (washi tape) for “Bridget’s pet” (an old plastic dinosaur), who “got injured.” Perhaps I need to re-assess the house for safety. It seems like we’ve experienced a spate of injuries lately, and my washi tape (especially the pink polka-dotted roll) is disappearing quickly.
Pink has always been my favorite color, but … well, maybe it really isn’t. Whenever it comes time to paint a room, I invariably gravitate towards blue, but … well, lately, I’ve found an awful lot of citrus colors in my life, and not just in the fruit bowl. I also see them on the living room wall, (in just about everything Luke wears — of course), my purse, Moleskine sketchbooks, the scarves that draw me in at TJ Maxx. What does it mean?!?
I drink my tea with milk. My husband prefers lemon and sugar and so I always have lemons in my fridge. We’ve both been fighting off sore throats for the past week so there has been a lot of lemons and tea in our days.
I’ve gotten use to daily themes and challenges — at least in terms of picture taking and 365 projects. This was originally an idea for the lensbaby group on g+. They are running a self-portrait challenge that has me a bit stumped. Taking a self-portrait is challenging enough on several levels but add to that a quirky, manual focus lens and, well, it makes for one tough challenge. Poor Danny is just a prop in this shot — I needed something to do with my hands! I should get a nice portrait of him up soon, he’s grown so much and has the cutest bottom teeth now!
In the past, I was very good at buying paints, pens, rubber stamps, ink pads, patterned papers, eyelets, brads, beads, wire, ribbons, fabric and paper flowers — you name it. But I was not good at actually finding the time to use my purchases. This year, I’m trying to flip that by purchasing nothing (except for the new lens I’m saving up for), and using the art supplies to create something daily.
I feel rather transparent for choosing a shot through a magnifying glass. It seems like a bit of a cliché to me, but there are days when that’s all I’ve got.
My husband was playing his guitar today and the transparent tubes in his amp were glowing in such a nice warm way.
Yes, I am an amateur and I am proud of that. I photograph for the love of taking pictures. And to “keep the moment from running away,” as Eudora Welty said.
But there is also a drive to learn more and to improve — not necessarily because I foresee some time when I will be financially rewarded for improving but because I love the art form so much that I want to create something as beautiful, pure and perfect as I possibly can.
So I keep reaching for that next stair — hoping that I am going up and getting better with each photograph.
I live in a house filled with amateurs: amateur artists, photographers, musicians, golfers, Lego designers and even princesses. With so many people indulging in so many passions, I seldom hear that most annoying statement: “I’m bored.”
I’ve discovered that I like to learn on my own, taking my time, following rabbit trails, picking up a book and dropping it for something else a few chapters later. This modus operandi is one of the reasons I feel compelled to buy books and seldom visit the library. When inspiration strikes, I want volumes at my fingertips. I’ve built a relatively decent collection of art books and magazines (these are just a small sample; I also own many volumes on the works of artists such as Michelangelo, Picasso, Degas and Wyeth), because I want to ground myself in everything art related: the basic techniques, the tools, the works of the masters, the works of other aspiring artists like me. Just as important as studying, though, is executing, and I’m trying to find more time to do just that.
Today was Tommy’s birthday party. He choose Chuck E. Cheese (for the third year in a row). It’s not my favorite place in the whole world but the kids love it and they all have a great time. I don’t have to clean up when the party is over. And THAT is grounds for continuing to support them.
I have baked and decorated at least a half dozen guitar cakes. Whenever I get started on one, though (like today, for Henry on his birthday), I doubt my abilities to create an edible facsimile of the stringed instrument. This one is pretty good.
Tame the ghosts in my head,
That run wild and wish me dead.
— Mumford & Sons
I feel a bit juvenile by quoting pop song lyrics but I think this is such a poetic image of doubt. I’m working on a new portfolio for my lensbaby photos and I am consumed with self-doubt so I am feeling those ghosts right now.
One of my goals for 2013 was to do a better job of planning meals. If I have them written out beforehand, I am much more likely to have the ingredients on hand when it comes time to make them. That saves me from ordering pizza or just giving up and boiling hotdogs.
If I didn’t use my 5-in-1 tool so often, I’d be tempted to give it away. Eight times out of ten, I manage to pinch my fingers when opening it.
When I walk down my road with camera in hand, I employ a rather simple, straightforward approach to creating good photos: I point my camera at whatever the sun has highlighted.
After two years of aching feet and painful walking, I finally managed to get myself to the doctor this afternoon. His diagnosis was potential stress fractures — no wonder the orthotic shoes weren’t helping!
At least the doves had each other for encouragement…
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are laboring among you and who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you, and to show esteem for them with special love on account of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good [both] for each other and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
This is a long story, but I’ll try to be brief. Nine-year-old Sam likes coffee. When he first started drinking it, he always asked for the same cup: a mug with a bear and balloons on it that I got from my roommate in college. One day, though, Sam broke the mug. He was very upset. I searched ebay, but could not find the same mug. Therefore, I suggested we go to TJ Maxx, and pick out a new one. Sam settled on a blue ceramic travel mug with silicone lid. It said “Dog Lover” on it. He was very happy with that cup, until I broke it. So, once again, it was off to TJ Maxx. Sam picked out a green and white ceramic travel mug with silicone lid. Today, however, he knocked it off the counter while riding through the kitchen on a Ripstik. The incident sent him to his room in tears. But Sam’s very thoughtful brother Henry — without any encouragement — immediately went after the upset Ripstick rider and told him he’d buy Sam another coffee cup.
This angle doesn’t really convey the number of hobbits, orcs, uruk-hai, dwarves, elves, wargs, spiders and ring wraiths involved in this impending clash, but it seems that Jack has envisioned a miniature Middle Earth battle of epic proportions.
While it’s not always successful, I do try to envision the end result before I snap the shutter.